Crimson Edge
by dangomitarashi
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto always knew he was special. He always knew he was important. He thought it was because of the Kyuubi. Turns out he got two out of the three right. Adopted from Case13.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach

* * *

.

This was an odd awakening.

He just.. opened his eyes. There was no morning drowsiness, no yawn, no muddled thoughts and half remembered moment he... slept? Did he sleep?

'I.. I didn't sleep, did I?' He blinked. 'No... It was something...'

Searing pain in his stomach made him curl fetaly.

'What...?'

The pain vanished.

Carefuly, slowly, he uncurled, sitting up.

'What a strange feeling... that was...' Naruto shook his head slowly 'Pain but... odd. As if...' He shook his head again uncertainly 'As if not quite THERE...'

The blond stood up.

He expected to be unsteady, either from pain or the...coma? Yes. Coma fit it nicely.

But... He still felt odd. Light. Like that one time he spent almost three days awake practicing bunshin. Like that time, everything was... crisp. Clear like jagged shards of glass. But that it was muted. As if he was smothered in velvet.

This one.. was different. Omniously so. But not in a bad way. And omnious should be bad. Only it wasn't. He honestly didn't know how to think about that.

Naruto shook his head yet again.

'No point in dwelling on it, I guess...' He thought with a grimace.

The whole situation was annoying. Everything was just... shifted. All there but not.

"ARGH!"

He hated things like that. They made his head hurt. And made him brood. He didn't brood. He didn't allow himself to brood.

Sasuke-teme could brood all he wanted...

He fell to his knees, clutching his stomach.

'I...!'

He heaved, clawing at the stabbing pain that flashed yet again.

'Oh god...'

The jinchuuriki shut his eyes, refusing the tears that threatened to fall.

He didn't CRY dammit!  
Naruto gritted his teeth, refusing to bow to yet another wave of pain.

Leaves flashed.

Stench... Stench of venom, of spraying serpentine guts... Of pure, tangible terror he refused to admit... Of pasty face and yellow, serpentine eyes...

He howled, striking the ground, trying to distract himself from pain.

"Wh..at..is..happ..eni..ing..to..ME?!" Naruto heaved out painfully.

What did that fucking snake bastard DO to him?!

His eyes opened, glaring hatefully.

He saw red.

And the pain passed. Like before. Without a trace.

He took several deep breaths, trying to chase away the vertigo. Only there was nothing to get rid of.

The young ninja blinked in surprise.

"How...odd." He muttered, standing up once again.

His eyes widened.

A delicate, sublime fragrance, carried by the gentle breeze sweapt around him like a gentlest of caressess. Delicate petals twisted and danced briefely, as if for his amusement. The crimson leafed trees swayed gently, along with rows of roses... the most beautiful crimson roses he had seen in his life.

This... wasn't the Forest of Death.

If anything, it looked more like a garden. A very strange garden, since there were only the odd crimson trees and roses. Not a very neat one, too, since the flowers grew in a haphazard, but strangely appealing manner. Indeed, despite it's oddly chaotic look, it was the single most beautiful garden he had seen in his life. And the biggest one. In fact, it was bigger than the whole Konoha commercial district by a good margin.

"Okay... Where the HELL am I?!"

* * *

He didn't know how long he kept walking through the marvellous garden. It could have been hours, it could have been seconds. It could have been years, for all he knew.

It was odd how the time seemed to twist in this place. Even odder for him, since he always could tell which hour it was. Beeing too poor to own a watch, oher than then the old, beat up clock he had in his appartament, he taught himself to deal. Here... he couldn't. And it was one of the minor oddities. If an unnerving one.

Like the strange rose bushes that had thorns, but didn't prick him once.

Like the paths that weren't there before, but seemed to be right there when he took a turn.

Like the sky, blue and coudless that smeed to crisp to be for real.

At first he taught it was ome werid genjutsu but...

Kai didn't work. At all.

He tried and tried and tried... The garden didn't budge. It was still there. Odd, haphazard and smug.

Naruto gritted his teeth.

"Okay... I've HAD it with you!" He growled, reaching for his kunai pouch.

There was more than one way to break genjutsu, after all. He wasn't exactly a fan of cutting himself... But what alternative did he have?

His fingers went for the clasp... Only to grasp air.

'Oh you _gotta_ be kidding me...' The blond thought with a scowl, looking at his tigh.

The kunai holster was gone. So was the shuriken pouch. Hell, even that nifty reserve senbon he picked up after the Wave misadventure and kept for emergencies was gone!

"Greeeeat! Simply fucking GREAT!" He said sullenly, before looking at his fingers.

He hated to do that but...

Naruto bit his hand. And yelped.

"FUCK!"

He didn't know that his teeth were quite THAT sharp.

* * *

"Not a genjutsu." The jinchuuriki said with a scowl, trying to avoid looking at the bloody pinpricks on his palm. "So where the hell am I?"

This wasn't Forest of Death. It was too big. And he was quite sure it couldn't be anywhere near Konoha either.

He had spent a lot of time in the Konoha forests as a kid and what grew in this odd garden didn't anything like he had encountered in his life.

Besides... The garden was just too strange.

It had plants, it had flowers and grass... But there was silence. No birds singing, no animal tracks... Hell, no insects even. An impossibility. Only roses and odd trees all around.

And no way _out_ in visible radius.

He sat at the ground with a heavy sigh.

"What the hell am I supposed ot do now?" he muttered tiredly.

Naruto blinked, catching something in the corner of his eye.

His eyebrow twitched.

'Oh don't tell me...'

He turned. Slowly.

And there it was.

Taller than the Hokage tower but smoother. Not as rugged. In fact, it looked anything but. But it wasn't frail either. It had an odd sense of strength in it, of majesty and authority, but it was also breathtakingly beautiful.

The crimson rooftiles glinted merilly in the sun, the graceful form rising from the ground, preening in the sun like beautiful seductress in the circle of smitten admirers.

At that moment, Naruto felt like one of them.

The castle made the sketches of the Fire Country Daimyo's opulent residences Naruto saw during the Academy lessons seem like drawings of a poor man's hut.

Naruto started walking before his brain catched up to his body.

He was too absorbed to see the rose bushes twist gracefully from his way, creating a rosy path. He was oblivious to strange trees shedding the crimson leaves under his feet as well.

* * *

Calling the castle cool would be like an utter blasphemy to him.

He was never that good with words, leaving the flowery speeches to stuck up assholes thinking themselves too good to talk like normal people. But this time, he regretted his limited vocabulary.

Majestic.

Beautiful.

Impressive just didn't cut it once he was up close and walked inside.

The halls were spacious and wide, but without that hollow feeling of emptiness big buildings often had. The walls were decorated with wood more beautiful than gold, sparkled sparingly with jewels, crimson carpets were rich and alive with extrardinarly detailed patterns which made Konoha's Clan Houses look poor and unsophisticated but...

It was warm. Invting.

Naruto, despite the rich patterns, precious wood and exuisite craftsmanship, didn't feel what he deemed as 'stuck up vibes' from this place at all.

It wasn't intimidating or gaudy in the least. Rich. Probably expensive as hell but not gaudy. Tasteful.

Even Naruto, despite being a loud, orange loving barbarian, could appreciate it. It wasn't the type of beauty that struck you in the face with a diamond hammer with a golden handle, but rather the one that gently drew you in with a mysterious smile, hazy scent of incense, whispered promise and an elusive promise of rosy fragrance...

The genin blinked.

'Speaking of roses...' He frowned, smelling the air.

It was the smell... But it wasn't like the one in the garden. It was rosy, but also had something metallic in it. Something that touched his tounge with a half forgotten taste. It was heavy but inobtrusive at the same time. If Naruto could desribe it, he would call it 'encompassing'.

Inviting.

Whispering.

Caressing his memory like a sharp, cold steel draped in silk.

Calling him.

Drawing him in.

He didn't notice he sped up until he cleared the long corridor and froze.

The chamber was magnificent. Corridors, for all of their beauty, didn't hold a candle to the rich beauty of tapestries, golden etchings and silken curtains inside the champer.

But Naruto didn't see it.

He saw nothing.

Nothing except the woman on the carpet.

Naruto swallowed.

He stopped regretting his lack of education. No flowery words would help him now.

A pale, long fingered and delicate hand gracefully snapped the rich, crimson fan open.

Naruto's eyes flollowed the hand, captivated and entraced.

Rich, crimson hued lips quirked a mysterious smile.

Naruto swallowed again.

She was single most unearthly beautiful woman he had ever seen andnd would ever see, of that he had no doubt. No woman could equal the goddess in front of him.

Her face, like the skin, was pale, but glowed ethereally, her godlike curves clad in loose, excuisite kimono that was partially slid from her shoulders. The face was angular, cheekbones prononced gently in the alluring fashion, her impossibly long, straight hair a curtain of raven silk.

The eyes, two glowing rubies of purest red gazed at him, holding both mirth and some sort of mysterious knowledge and promise that made his knees weak from a single look.

Noticing his gaze she stretched sinously, her grace and underlying sensuality that premanated the very air around her making Naruto's eyes widen as his face heated up. The woman's smile got wider and with one graceful move, she snapped her fan shut.

Her kimono whispered gently through the air as she rose, flowing to the paralysed blonde with a smile.

Naruto stood, too entranced by her steps to so much as breathe, much less move. His heart jumped wildly like wild animal when she took his face in between her warm palms.

The world around him stopped existing, and he didn't care.

"My beloved..." She breathed, her voice husky, her lips warm, her gaze hungry but full of promise.

Time lost any meaning.

He burned and went to hell.

He froze and went to heaven.

He rose from ashes only to drown in the hot breath, feather light, silky touch of her lips and a kiss that seemed to kill and resurrect him at the same time until remembered how to breathe. Lightning ran through his veins. Warm breath and sensous touch burned inside him. Twisting. Turning. Begging. Howling. Welcoming.

She let his lips go, touchin her forehead to his.

"I.." He halted as she touched his lips with a fingers.

"Shhh... It is not the time for questions, my beloved." She whispered "Just let me bask in your presence once more... Let me welcome you home."

"Who..." She halted him with a warm breath into his ear.

"But you know who... Don't you, my beloved?" She whispered huskily, drawing hims close "Reach within your soul... And whisper my name.. Once again."

Something inside of him twisted. Something reached out. Something opened its eyes.

Naruto opened his mouth, desperate for the sound that wasn't coming.

"Don't force it... It is yours, like I am... Forever." She breathed gently "Just let it flow... Let it hold you like I do."

He melted into warm grip, closing eyes, breathing in the rosy, metallic scent. Scent, that he realised was one he knew intimately on some level. It had fragance of crimson flowers. It had heavy tinge of metal. It had sweet and slaty tinge... Tinge of freshly spilled blood.

"Yesssss..." she whispered huskily "Say my name... Make us _whole_ again... Do you feel my warmth? Do you feel my love? Let me walk with you again so you will never be alone again, like before... Whisper the words into me, like before... Grasp me tightly and never let go... I will never leave you, for I am..."

Naruto opened his eyes to see her smile widen even as he burried his palms in silky darkness of her hair that flashed with burgundy tinge for the briefest of seconds.

"Benihime..." He breathed out kissing her without hesitation as the world dissolved into crimson stream that swept everything around them.

* * *

"...UUHA!"

'Damn. What is that noise?'

"...out of the way!"

'Noisy, noisy _noisy_! God my head hurts...'

..sseless!"

'Cut that out... That screech... FUCK my head _hurts_!'

"...get serious!"

'I swear one more time...!'

"You're not fooling anyone...!"

'That's. It. THAT'S FUCKING IT.'

The blue eyes snapped open.

Without a second glance a hand grasped the hilt that wasn't there a second before.

The world halted.

The blue eyes swept the sorroundings ponly to narrow in cold, calculating fury.

The world kicked into high gear.

* * *

Sakura had no idea what had happened, really.

One momment she was hitting the ground and trying to move, to run, to counter... to do anything, really, with her body as messed up as it was...

Then the air sang with a mournful howl.

Her eyes widened, seeing the back of Naruto's unmistakably familiar orange jumpsuit.

"Naru...to?" her voice trailed off as her loudmouth of a teammate turned to her.

His usually cheerful, animated blue eyes were cold and went even colder when he took in her ragged state.

She shivered unconciously.

That kind of gaze, that cold, calculated anger... That feeling of pure dread she had, even though it wasn't directed at her...

Even Sasuke's eyes weren't as cold.

Naruto's eyes were cold like a glacier, and glinting like the blade in his hand.

Sakura blinked.

'Sword?' She thought dumbly 'But Naruto doesn't use swords...? Where did he get one?'

It was a strange weapon, longer and wider that the standard shinobi sword she was used to seeing. More like the one carried by samurai, though its hilt was little odd.

Naruto turned to the Oto genin team.

"What the fuck?!" growled the black haired boy with strange tunnels in his palms. "Weren't you out cold just five fucking seconds ago?"

Naruto's gaze swept the surprised trio dispasionately for a second.

Then his mouth opened. Words came out.

"Okiro... Benihime."

And with a flash of the sword... Everything changed.

* * *

Shikamaru, along with the rest of Team 10 watched the... fight.

'Fight...? This isn't a fight... This is a slaughter!' Shikamaru thought dumbfounded.

Shikamaru thought he knew Naruto.

Sure, they weren't close or anthing, but there is a certain camraderie to be had when you play truant together. And despite the guy being troubesomly energetic, Shikamaru didn't mind Naruto too much. Sure, the guy was loud, obnoxious and somewhat dim at times... But he was a geniunly good person, even with all that shitty life of his. Shikamaru wasn't blind or deaf. And he _was_ a genius, if an incredibly lazy one.

Naruto was hated by the adults. For what, he didn't understand, but the hate was there. Not by all, to be sure, but those that didn't hate him held, at best, cold indifference.

He couldn't understand why, really. Naruto was troublesome, especially with his pranks, but he was the type that would give you last shirt of his back if you were cold. Not much of a ninja, true, but a good guy.

This... this person... This person swinging that oddly decorated but deadly looking sword with a calm and unhurried precission and cold, menacing anger... This wasn't Naruto at all.

Naruto wasn't precise. Naruto was enthusiastic and sloppy.

And he was _damn_ sure Uzumaki Naruto didn't know how to use a sword, much less a crazy expensive looking, exotic blade he was swining.

'Or one capable of doing something like that' Shikimaru's eyes narrowed as the gleaming weapon batted aside the wave of chakra-infused air with one swipe.

It could have been a jutsu, but Naruto didn't make any seals... And only swords he ever heard of beeing capable of such feats were the swords of Mist Seven and the legendary Raijin.

Just where did a dead last, dirt poor and hated orphan get his hands on such a powerful weapon?

"Damn..." Ino whispered in awe as Naruto blocked the handful of senbon from the Sound girl while dodging yet another Zankuuha at the same time. "He is almost as fast as Sasuke-kun!" she said in astonishment

'No. He's faster.' Shikamaru thought dumbly 'This... Damn... To do something like this you'd need to go far beyond genin level... Maybe even beyond chuunin.'

The blond was almsot toying with the genin he was fighting.

'So why doesn't he...?'

His eyes narrowed as he stared at Naruto.

"Shit... This is bad." he muttered finally.

"What?" Ino turned to him

"His wounds... He is beat up and tired. Being like that he won't..." Shikamaru trailed of before scowling, as a Zankuuha nicked the blonde shinobi in the leg. Naruto didn't so much as wince, but his loss of speed was more than enough.

Ino stared contemplatively for a second at Sakura's beat up form before straightening, her eyes determined.

"Shikamaru... Let's go."

'So troublesome...' He thought with a sigh.

Still, he went.

* * *

Naruto's legs trembled. His hands quivered. Still, his grip on Benihime didn't loosen a bit.

Scrapes, cuts... Each burned ten time worse than usual.

He gritted his teeth, stabbing Benihime into the ground just to avoid falling to his knees.

'Sorry...' He thought, leaning is forehead on the hilt.

A wave of warmth enveloped him and for a briefest of momment he could swear he felt delicate hands embracing him.

The blond smiled tiredly, before scowling.

He made a mistake... He fucked up royally.

He should have gone for the crippling blows outright... now he paid the price.

'Well... at least Shikamaru and the rest have things under con-' His eyes widened when the sound girl that Ino posessed with Shintenshin was blasted by that annoying air blast.

Naruto stared numbly.

'That was... their teammate...' He thought incredously 'How can they...'

The jinchuuriki gritted his teeth.

'Bastards...' He grasped Benihime's handle, drawing himself up as he felt his blood boiling 'Bastards who don't take care of their comrades...' The boil jumped up to high burn '...This kind of trash doesn't deserve to LIVE!' Ignoring the exhaustion he pulled the Benihime out from the ground.

He felt brief vertigo but he ignored it by sheer willpower.

'Please... Benihime.' Naruto thought closing eyes for a second.

The sword vibrated almost unnoticeably and almost inaudible, lilting sound filled the air.

The blond smiled.

'Thank you.'

He took a step forward, ready to sing Benihime once again, only to freeze.

'What?'

"...knocked out freak is from our team and... You are going to _pay_ for that."

He turned to the tree, spying two teenagers, boy and a girl with Konoha hitai ate. The girl he didn't know, but the strange eyes the boy had he knew well enough.

'That's that Hyuuga guy teachers were speaking about last year... Nadi, Keji... Ah! Neji!' He thought lowering Benihime and chuckled tiredly.

'Lucky... I guess.' Naruto thought with a wince.

As much as he hated to admit it, fighting right now would be suicide. He could barely stand and his chakra felt odd. Or rather, didn't feel at all. Without his chakra and with wounds like that he would be rather screwed.

Benihime's blade vibrated for a second.

'Ah... Sorry.' he smiled apolegtically with a sheepish grin

The vibration stopped but he couldn't shake of the feeling she was huffing in annoyance.

Naruto stiffened, hefting Benihime in defensive position on pure instinct as a spike of... something was felt through the air.

He had no idea what it was, but it felt WRONG.

 _Vile._ Unnatural.

It had a stench of death in it, stench of lingering agony that made him want to spit and vomit at the same time.

"Sasuke-kun.. You're AWAKE!"

Naruto's head turned and he paled.

The stench was coming off Sasuke, and it was getting stronger.

Then he had a good look on his face.

'What the FUCK?!'

'This... this is wrong... This is...WRONG...'

Naruto hated himself for just standing there as his tammate and, bastard though he was, a friend, tore into Oto genin team with a glee of a child pulling out the legs from an insect, one at a time, just to see it squirm.

He hated it. He hated himself for not stopping it but... He just stood there numbly.

'Sasuke... what...' The blond heaved, swallowing heavily. The agonal stench was horrible. It took all of his willpower not to vomit right here and there.

His eyes followed Sasuke numbly.

The boy was moving fast. Faster than ever before, faster than he did on the bridge, Naruto was sure. Yet he tracked him without trouble. But he didn't think about that. He didn't think about much of anything really, watching as is best friend mangled the Oto nins... and had a ball of the time, judging from the crazed grin.

'...This isn't Sasuke... This isn't Sasuke _at all_...'

His hands gripped Benihime tightly as Sasuke toyed with the sound genin.

''Stop... Sasuke...snap out of it...'

Unconsciously, he took a step, Benihime tracing a slow arc away from him, rady for another dash and cut.

Sasuke gripped the air wave guy's arm tightly and broke them like one would wooden stick. Smiling. Smiling like a child with a new toy.

'Sasuke... YOU...!' Naruto thought incredously.

Benihime gleamed, letting looose a low, lilting sound as Naruto gritted his teeth.

Sasuke turned to Dosu.

"STOP!"

Benihime's blade vibrated with increasing intensity as Naruto stiffened.

Sasuke stood in the pinkhaired teammate's embrace. Then the odd marks on his face and arm retracted, the agonal stench with them.

Naruto sighed tiredly, lowering the sword and sat on the ground heavily, closing his eyes, his hands stroking Benihime's hilt gently, tuning out the voices around him.

'What a fuckin' mess...'

He wanted nothing more to close his eyes and sleep for a week. He felt so damn tired...

The blond opened his eyes, rising his sword and giving it a careful look. It looked odd, unlike any kind of sword he had seen in his life. Longer than ninjato used by ANBU, clealry a full sized katana but wider by fair margin, though not massive like Zabuza's monster of a weapon. It was also straight, unlike most katana he had seen samurai using. The hilt was odd, mix of crimson and gold and very ornamental with some kind of red cloth at the curved end of it. For all of her oddity... she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

He inspected the blade. Despite some of his swings cutting into the ground and stones and batting that freakishly powerful air wave there wasn't a nick on it.

"You are really great, aren't you, Benihime?" Naruto smiled happily "Not even a scratch..." The edge gleamed in the sun, almost preening to look her best and he could swear he heard a purr and a hot, rose scented breath on his lips accompanied by an odd feeling of mischevious anticipation.

He shivered.

For some reason he felt both happy and scared shitless for a brief second, though he had no idea why.

The genin stared at the blade for a moment more, simply admiring it's beauty before lowering her with a frown. He would have to get some sort of a scabbard for her. And since Benihime didn't look anywhere near like a standard katana, he would need to have one custom made.

Naruto winced.

This was going to cost him.

Damn merchants overpriced him on regular basis if they allowed him to shop at all. Still, for Benihime, he would bear with it. She was worth everything he had to give and more.

He sighed, pulling out a roll of clean, thick bandage from his pocket.

"Sorry, Benihime..." Naruto muttered apolegtically, patting the sword awkwardly. "It's all I have for now. I'll get you something better as soon as I can, I promise."

He felt a feather touch of a hand on his cheek and a warm whisper in his ear. He basked in it for a moment before gently wrapping the bandage around the sword in a way that would allow him to shrug the impromptu covering quickly.

"Nice sword."

Naruto craned his neck up, seeing the silk clad girl that was with Neji earlier. Her brown hair were in the twin buns and she had really nice, honey brown eyes, something he only now noticed.

"Heh, yeah. She's the greatest." Naruto grinned, rubbing the hilt gently

The girl smiled, rising her eyebrow in amusement.

"She?"

"Yup." Naruto nodded "Her name is Benihime. Cool, ain't she?" he said with pride

The girl nodded, giving the blade speculative glance.

"Seems ornamental... More like a show piece that a functional weapon, but... This blade is no joke." she leaned looking at the endge curiously."Not even a nick... and you cut kunai with it, too... Amazing." she mused, her eyes taking in every little detail with an unabashed curiosity.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked. "How did you know?"

"Hmm?" She looked at Naruto blankly, shaken out of her reverie before waving "Oh we saw you fight those Oto guys. Nice technique, by the way. Flashy, but nice. I didn't know there were sword specialists in your year."

"Sword specialists?" Naruto scratched his head, squinting in confusion "But I don't remember Iruka-sensei mentioning that...

"Well you must have..." Tenten trailed off.

She stared.

"What?" Narutoo asked defensively.

"You mean to tell me you learned all of it from your Jounin sensei?" She said sceptically "Learned that in, what, four, five moths you have been a genin?"

"Uhh... No?" Naruto said with confusion.

Tenten opened her mouth...

"Kakashi-sensei never taught me how to use a sword." the blond frowned "He didn't teach me much of anything really, come to think of it." Naruto grumbled.

Tenten stared.

Her mouth moved for a few seconds, no sound coming out.

She finaly closed it.

"Hey, hey... You all right?" Naruto asked carefuly.

"Just...peachy..." Tenten mutered dazedly.

If she understood the blond right, he just implied he had never been trained how to use the sword properly. Not in the academy, which wasn't unusual since they barely taught how to use kunai properly unless you were exceptionally talented, like she was. Not from his sensei either... Which meant that the kid, that dead last prankster she had heard teachers grumble about had fought, as incredible as it seemed, on instinct.

On instinct.

And yet he had shown easy skill and familiarity only a seasoned swordsman posessed.

On goddamn _instinct_ alone.

In-fucking-credible.

Any other nin might feel jealous. Tenten had a right to. She spent countless hours practicing with weaponry to get where she was now, and this boy had just shown a skill that could, with bit of training, easily equal her own swordsmanship to hers... Without doing any of the hard work.

But Tenten didn't feel jealous. Not much, anyway. A little envy, true, but...

Weapon masters among Konoha nins were excedingly rare, comparing to ther villages. Konoha had the largest arsenal of jutsu in the world, mostly thanks to the Uchiha Clan and their Sharingan and genius Jutsu architects like Nidaime or Sarutobi. Also, the large ammount of bloodline limits in the village, coupled with preference and avaliabilty of jutsu meant weapon mastery was not something held in high esteem by Konoha nins.

To find another aspiring weapon master in her generation... One with so much raw talent no less...

Tenten decided right there and then that Uzumaki Narruto was definetely someone worth knowing better. The fact that he had a damn fine sword she would love to try out had nothing to do with it.

Really.

She heard a familiar grunt and turned to see a clearly annoyed Neji who stood with battered Lee nearby.

The Hyuuga prodigy scowled at her.

Tenten nodded, before turning to her fellow weapon master.

"Let's meet again, Naruto-san." she said with a smile "I'm sure we'll have much to talk about. So don't lose, okay?"

She turned, walking to her team.

"Hey!"

She stopped, looking at the squinting blonde.

"What's your name?"

She flashed a smile, twirling a kunai in her fingers.

"Tenten, Naruto-san. My name is Tenten." She said throwing the kunai up and turning to her teammates again.

Before she made a step, the blade fell from the air into her kunai harness without a hitch as if she just slid it there.

A moment later, the Team Gai was gone.

Naruto stared.

"Cool." he said with a grin.

He definetly wouldn't mind getting to know a girl like that.

* * *

Naruto stared at the sword contemplatively.

Ever since he used her on the Oto team he felt odd.

Weaker. But stronger. More alive but...

He winced, rubbing his stomach.

Whatever that Snake freak 'Orochimaru - he reminded himself' did to him, he couldn't feel his chakra at all. He couldn't feel Kyuubi's chakra either.

And _yet_...

Naruto frowned.

He wasn't stupid. If Orochimaru really had cut off his chakra completely, he shouldn't be able to move like he did. Not as fast. Not as strong. Sure, the speed drained away extremely quickly and he felt like a walking corpse after it, but when he was moving... Even when Kyuubi powered him on the Bridge he wasn't half as fast. He had Sasuke beat on speed for that brief few moments during that fight with the Oto team. He was sure of that. And what did he do back then...

He did SOMETHING. Something _important_. Those words he spoke to Benihime... He knew that it was important He did it on instinct, but he had no idea WHY. Yet they scratched at the edge of his memory like persistent splinters in his brain, driving him crazy each time he thought about them.

'Shit. This is confusing.' The blond scowled

A smack to the head brought him to reality.

"What was that for?!" he whined, glaring at the obviously irritated Sakura

"Idiot!" she scowled "Don't zone out when Sasuke-kun is speaking!"

"Yeah, yeah... Bastard..." He groused and winced as he was struck again

"And don't call Sasuke-kun names either!" she growled.

"Please... Be silent, Sakura-san." Kabuto, the white haired genin that joined them pushed his glassess up with annoyance.

Sasuke just glared.

"Sorry Kabuto-san." Sakura said meekly.

Kabuto sighed, opening his mouth, before freezing and looking at Naruto oddly for a moment.

The blond shinobi scowled, finally having enough if the intense gaze.

"What?!" he growled

"Naruto-san... Do you know that you radiate almost no chakra?" Kabuto said in astonishment.

"What are you...?" Naruto scoffed, trying to hide his disability.

"Naruto-san... Please. I'm a medic nin. It's my job to know such things." Kabuto said flatly

"...The snake-freak bastard stabbed me in the stomach and fucked up my chakra." He admitted reluctantly.

"Stabbed you say... Hmm..." Kabuto muttered "Could you show me?"

"Why?" The jinchuuriki asked suspiciously.

"Because it sounds like some kind of a seal... And I might be able to help you with that." Kabuto said simply.

Naruto nodded, lifting his shirt.

Kabuto studied the marks for a while before shaking his head ruefully.

"This is indeed a seal but..." he shrugged helplessly "I'm afraid it's far beyond my abilites. You would need a jounin well versed in seals to so much as try and I'm not sure he would suceed either. Not in the current conditions, anyway." The medic ammended "It should be easy enough to remove in proper medical facilities."

"Idiot!" Sakura screeched, though there was a clear wory in her eyes "Why didn't you tell us!"

"It wasn't your business!" Naruto scowled, allowing the shirt to fall

"Ah... Sakura-san is right, Naruto-san... You could have endangered your teammates this way." pointed out the medic-nin

Sasuke grunted.

"Just try to stay out of our way from now on." he said, resuming their run

Naruto scowled.

'Bastard.'

* * *

Naruto stood, countless clones sorrounding him.

His eye twitched.

'This is...ironic in a way.' He thought with irritation 'Karma _really_ is a bitch.'

He caught Sasuke's sharingan activating in the corner of his eye and scowled.

'And here he goes again...The Uchiha Almighty Bloodlimit saves the day yet again while the good ol' Naruto can't even use chakra. Yay.' He thought sarcastically 'Or maybe not...' Naruto winced as Sasuke's legs trembled and the Uchiha fell to his knees, obviously in pain.

The hinchuuriki yelped, barely ducking a kunai, only to catch two in his left arm.

'Fuckfuckfuck!'

He started dnacing around the prjectiles like demented rabbit on speed, but it wasn't enough. The clones, the genjutsu... It all covered the kunai too well.

He screamed, feeling yet another blade bite a surface wound on his leg.

"ARGGHHHHHHHH! I've had FUCKING ENOUGH OF YOU!" Naruto roared and without thinking he swung his sword down at the nearest clone.

There was a strange, now-familiar feeling of something twsting, of something flowing deep inside him.

Benihime, for a briefest fraction of a second seemed to, of all things, laugh.

Then the ground exploded, scattering the clones, cutting the trees and gouging a deep crater into the ground, uncovering the severly wounded Rain nins.

Kabuto, Sakura and Sasuke stared.

Naruto heaved.

"That'll...teach...'em...!" he said between gasps.

Kabuto whistled, before eying Benihime speculatively.

"Now that's... some weapon." he said shaking his head in amazement.

"Heh heh..." Naruto smiled tiredly "You don't know the half of it."

Sasuke's fist clenched, nails digging into his palms and drawing blood.

Sasuke and Kabuto watched the back of the young ninja as he walked away, one with jealousy, other with calculating curiosity.

* * *

TBC...

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Crimson Edge

Chapter 2

* * *

"Changes in the flash of the blade."

* * *

Hayate, the jounin examiner coughed, staring at the crowd of leftover genin.

"Well then... let's begin the preliminary..." he stared at the genin apathetically "It will consist on one-on-one battles fought like a live confrontation...

Naruto focused on explanation, doing his best to forget the strange, ominous feeling that he felt. Which proved futile in next few minutes.

"First match: Akado Yoroi versus Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto blinked.

'What the...?' he frowned before freezing.

It was unmistakable.

'That feeling...'

His head snapped to Sasuke, but his teammate looked normal, if excited.

'So why is that...' He gritted his teeth, concentrating 'No doubt about it... it's THAT feeling. Muted but...' he grimaced, feeling the spike of vile stench 'Stronger somehow... As if there was more of it. But Sasuke doesn't have the weird marks on him. So why...?'

The blond followed Sakura to the balcony, trying to ignore the nervous tightening of his stomach. He didn't know why, but he had a really bad feeling about this. A really, really bad feeling.

He couldn't help the fact that it was getting worse with each passing second.

* * *

Naruto unclenched his hand from Benihime's handle only to wince in pain and shake his palm.

The fight lasted several minutes at best but he felt as if he aged years.

'That stuck-up idiot... What is he thinking?!' Naruto scowled 'He nearly gave me the heart attack there, the bastard!'

The blond stared at Sasuke's exhausted form, sighing heavily.

He was happy that Sasuke won, of course, but...

Naruto threw a quick look at Lee. The spandex clad taijutsu expert was frowning, nearly scowling. He didn't know much about Lee, but he knew that it was rare.

'Well no wonder... Sasuke basically stole his taijutsu. I would be kind of pissed of too, I guess...'

Hayate coughed.

"Abumi Zaku... Aburame Shino. Step down to the arena."

'Huh? The sound guy...' Naruto's eyebrows shot up 'He's gonna fight with broken arms? Against Shino? Is he an idiot?'

True, he didn't know much about the Aburame boy since Shino was quiet as hell, but he had heard of Aburame Clan's reputation. Most in Konoha did, since it was as effective as it was disgusting.

'Bugs inside of you... ugh.' Naruto grimaced 'Not that I have any place to talk...' He thought somberly, putting hand on his stomach.

A warm breath and ephemeral feeling of warm hands embracing him tightly brought him back from his funk.

'Thanks, Benihime...' He thought closing his eyes.

They were only together for a day... and he already wondered how he managed without her before. Her comforting presence chased all worries away as if by magic.

'And her edge can cut like nobody's business.' he smirked.

The hilt vibrated slightly and he could have sworn that Benihime was laughing as he felt a warm cheek nuzzling his neck.

* * *

"Well damn..." Naruto whistled watching the Aburama calmly walking away from the arena as medic-nins picked Zaku's arm from the floor. 'I suspected he was going to win but...' Naruto shook his head in amazement "Who would have guessed that this guy is that strong?"

"I always thought he was bit... creepy," Sakura said in odd voice "But... He is strong." She whispered, as if to herself

Naruto looked at his pink haired teammate with surprise.

'What's with her?'

He opened his mouth, only to pause as familiar presence appeared behind him.

"Yo!" Kakashi saluted in his normal, careless manner.

"What do you mean 'YO'?!" Sakura was back to her normal self "Sasuke-kun, how is he...?

Naruto sighed.

'Well, at least she isn't all weird anymore...'

Naruto stared.

'Damn... Does EVERYONE have some weird-ass techniques in this exam?!' He scowled 'First that guy just stretches, all rubbery-like... And now this guys fights using a doll... What next, poking people with 'death fingers of doom' ?!' Doesn't anybody fight like normal people anymore?!'

"Shit.. there is bunch of weirdoes in this exam!" Naruto scowled

Kakashi quirked an eyebrow.

'Like you're the one to talk.' He thought before stopping as he looked at the board 'Well what do you know... this just got interesting.'

"Naruto." The Jounin said pointing at the board "Heads up."

"Huh?" The blonde turned, following the gesture.

Uzumaki Naruto versus Tenten.

His eyes slowly ventured to the brown haired girl who was grinning at him, like that time in the forest.

'Let's meet again, Naruto-san'

'I'm sure we'll have much to talk about so don't lose okay?'

Naruto smiled, the smile turning into wide grin before he laughed.

'Sure, Tenten-san... I' won't lose to anybody!' He thought gleefully, jumping down without bothering to use something as mundane as stairs.

Kakashi stared.

'What's with him?' He thought dumbfounded 'Is he an idiot? That girl... She is Gai's pupil and master of weapons. She is probably the worst kind of opponent for him save maybe the Hyuuga prodigy. And he's laughing? Is he... a total moron?'

Kakashi sighed shaking his head.

"Well, at least he is in high spirits..." he muttered leaning on the wall. "Not that it will help him much."

"No."

The jounin froze, before looking at Sakura curiously.

"What?"

"No. Naruto is.. Naruto is...strong." Her voice was full of conviction, despite first word being shaky.

Kakashi's only visible eye widened slightly.

'Is Sakura... supporting Naruto?' He thought incredulously 'Faith in your teammates is a good thing but...'

"Sakura... Naruto can't win this." Kakashi said, trying to use his lecturing, reasonable tone "That girl... With her long range weapons she is probably the worst kind of enemy Naruto might face as he is now. Naruto's kage bushin won't help him here and she won't let him get close for any taijutsu. And he lacks speed to get out of the way. I'm sorry but he can't win this."

"You are wrong, Kakashi-sensei. Naruto... You haven't been there with us in the Forest of Death or you'd know." she said, her eyes far away despite looking at the arena "He is not the same person anymore. He won't lose to her no matter what." She said with absolute certainty, her eyes focused on the blond.

Kakashi stared at his pink haired student in astonishment.

'Just what had happened there during that exam?'

* * *

"Naruto-san." Tenten smiled

"Hiya, Tenten!" Naruto grinned back at her happily "Meeting like this...It's kinda weird, huh?"

The girl nodded.

"Yes... But I'm really glad, Naruto-san." She said, not fighting the widening smile "To fight you like that... It's really lucky for me." The weapon mistress looked at him for a moment before her eyes wandered to Benihime's handle hanging from his back upside down. Her smile widened, eyes alight with excitement "So you have her with you."

Naruto looked at Benihime before unhooking the impromptu holster on his back held in place by wire and taking blade into his hand.

"Yeah. I'm not leaving her out of my sight even for a moment." He said patting the handle happily.

Tenten nodded with understanding, before giving him a shy look.

"Could you..." she swallowed "Could you... unveil her?"

Naruto blinked, before shrugging.

"Sure!" He said tugging at the bandage and letting it fall to the floor. Benihime's edge gleamed as the cloth unraveled with a flourish.

Naruto couldn't help but grin like a loon at the sight of supremely beautiful if deadly looking edge.

Tenten gazed at the sword before sighing longingly.

"She is even more beautiful than I remember, Naruto-san." She said with sincere appreciation as her eyes devoured the exquisite weapon in front of her.

"Yup!" Naruto nodded proudly "She's great, ain't she?"

Hayate coughed.

"Um... you know.. We're kinda of having a match here? Shouldn't you be, you know, fighting...?" He almost yelped as Tenten's eyes turned to him, nearly alight with furious blaze.

"We're having a moment here, examiner-san..." She said with honeyed voice. As sweet as steel clad in silk can be, anyway. "If you would Be. So. Kind."

Hayate blinked.

'Damn... That's one... odd girl.' He thought backing away slowly.

Naruto blinked owlishly.

'Making a Jounin back away with just a look... This is just... cool.' He thought with sincere admiration

Tenten glared at the Jounin who interrupted her admiration of the masterpiece before sighing and turning to Naruto.

"Now as much as I hate to admit it... We do have a fight to go to. "She took out a scroll and unraveled it. "This is not a technique. I just need to bring something...?" The girl looked at Naruto in askance

"Sure! Knock yourself out." Naruto waved carelessly, excited and curious.

Tenten nodded, performing the seals.

* * *

Up in the stands Kakashi palmed his face.

'Letting the opponent bring out a possible advantage and not doing anything about it... Naruto you moron. And here I thought Sakura has been on to something.'

Rest of the Jounin just chuckled watching the copycat nin with looks that ranged from amusement to outright pity.

The only person who didn't do so was Gai and his team. The bowl-cut Jounin's face was as if carved of stone as his eyes watched the arena with an almost unreal focus.

Lee's eyes widened and even Neji lost his impassive look.

"Gai-sensei... Is that...?" Lee asked incrediosly.

The Jounin nodded gravely.

"Yes. It's that scroll. For her to use IT in a battle like that..." he shook his head slowly 'Why, Tenten...? What is so important to you about this battle to go so far as to unseal 'that'...?'

Neji's eyes narrowed.

"Even footing."

Gai looked at his pupil sharply.

"She wants to fight him like an equal." Neji said slowly "That's why."

"But... but this is..." Lee said with disbelief

"Neji, my youthful pupil... There is no sense in your words." Gai said with a frown. "I don't want to insult young Naruto's youthfulness but our Tenten already outmatches him in combat, let alone in expertise with weapons."

"Does she, now...?" Neji muttered giving his full attention to the Arena. "With weapons, maybe... But does she with swords?

"Do you know something, Neji?" Gai asked seriously

"I don't know. Yet." The Hyuuga prodigy frowned 'But I will.' He thought confidently. 'It doesn't matter what you do... Those eyes of mine will see right through it. It is how things are.'

* * *

He dismissed the strange, ominous feeling that went through him as he thought that.

Naruto's eyes widened as the smoke cleared.

"Youshin. This blade is the best work to come out of my grandfather's forge until now. This is the best sword in the Fire Country." Tenten said proudly pulling it from the scabbard.

Naruto nodded slowly. He could believe that.

The hilt was plain, as was the tsuba but the blade itself was a gleaming work of art shining like a polished mirror. This was no mere sword. This was a masterpiece that comes once a few decades, if that.

Before the Forest of Death he would call it the best, most beautiful and cool looking sword he had ever seen without a hesitation.

But...

"Best sword in the Fire Country... huh?" Naruto said with a smile "Sorry, Tenten. Not buying it. Because I have the best sword in the world in my hand!" He said with glee

Tenten responded with equally gleeful, a touch maniacal smirk.

"We'll see about that." She said taking an aggressive stance, tip of the blade pointing at his face "Shall we?"

"Heh... Let's do it!" Naruto gripped Benihime tighter before lunging at his opponent with a loud cry.

* * *

The diagonal cut reverberated. Sparks flew.

Back step. Parry. Counter.

'And here we go again.'

Blood pumped.

Sparks flew yet again as two blades briefly fought for dominance.

'HELL YEAH!'

Stab.

Lunge. Duck and weave and spin...

And counter blooming into parallel stab.

'Niiiiiiice! bat what are you gong to do about...THIS!'

Blade dances, air sings. Wind howls as the parallel moon is drawn, reversing and striking low in last possible minute.

Sparks again.

'How does she DO it?!'

"Good... But TOO SLOW!"

Twist, duck and it goes straight up.

'Sheesh! An inch lower and she'd have given me a fucking haircut!'

Parry. Parry, parry, and parry again.

The sparks jump yet again as swords and eyes meet over the blades, one pair brown, the other cerulean.

'Damn... She doesn't look it but she's STRONG!'

Swords break away for a brief moment. And a second later, the dance begins yet anew.

The blade cuts a crazy, seemingly impossible pattern.

Chaotic and wild meets it savagely.

Cut. Air shrieks. Steel moans.

A stab goes low.

'Toofasttoofastotoofast!'

Sparks fly.

'Now THAT was way too close! Eat EDGE!'

An uppercut with a sword? Why not.

Both hands work as arm twists with full power of the knees behind it.

'Ah damn...! Shame I...WHOA!'

Twist and dance.

Edge screams and Benihime trembles under the assault.

'Now...that...just...figures... Pulling something like that... is she fucking CRAZY?!'

* * *

Kakashi stared.

It was hard to believe that one of the warriors meeting their blades in shower of sparks was Naruto.

Naruto who, while still wild and as unpredictable and as unorthodox as ever, was moving fast. And for all of seeming randomness, each of the moves proved to have some purpose behind it, some kind of a goal.

As he watched the two genin duke it out, The Copycat was sorely tempted to uncover his sharingan to see if the orange clad shinobi was really the hyperactive, clumsy runt that he knew as his student and not some chuunin in a henge.

His only visible eye widened as Naruto deflected a particularly difficult strike turning the simple deflection into a rapid counter that almost crushed Tenten's guard.

'Fast... Way too fast... I would expect something like that of Sasuke, not Naruto. He had never shown such speed before. ' He thought, subconsciously analyzing and pulling apart the patterns he saw Naruto using.

His eye narrowed as he saw the strong diagonal cut followed by seemingly wild but obviously well thought out combo that forced Tenten into a difficult position.

This wasn't something you learned overnight. It required diligent practice and, unlike jutsu, couldn't be 'cheated' by overpowering it with chakra. It took diligent, regular training and a good teacher for that level of skill. It took even more practice to use that sort of skill in actual combat.

And since it wasn't taught at the academy and he most certainly didn't teach him that...

Kakashi's eye went hard.

Somebody was training his student. His soldier. Without his knowledge.

And Naruto not only never told him about it but actively hid his skill. This wasn't something you could learn during weekends in a month or two. Naruto must have been training even before he came under Kakashi's command to be that good.

The blond more or less lied to him. He had concealed vital information not only from his teacher but also from his commander, endangering his whole team. Ninja used to get court marshaled for far less during war time.

Has the bell test taught the hyperactive blond nothing? Teamwork was essential shinobi tool, the cornerstone of a succeseful unit. What Naruto did wasn't just sselfish - it was dangerous.

'We will have words, Naruto.' Kakashi thought darkly, looking at his blond student. 'You can count on that.'

* * *

Naruto stood, panting and gripping Benihime tightly as he grinned.

He had never fought with swords before and now he wondered why. The fight was too exhilarating for words. The howl of displaced air, the whine of steel, the sparks, the sheer, raw ENERGY as the cogs in his mind whirled like crazy to avoid being cut and trying to cut, his body pushed to the maximum and adrenaline surged... This wasn't taijutsu - here one small mistake could be fatal.

Naruto was loving it.

In his not so humble opinion this was next best thing since Benihime and invention of delicacy that was ramen.

Naruto just found his new crack and discovered new favorite hobby.

'Heh heh... This is GREAT!' He twirled Benihime absently, looking at his opponent.

As her edge cut the air Naruto could feel the hilt vibrating. Benihime was laughing, her warm breath in his ears, a husky, hungry whisper in his mind.

He stopped, looking at Tenten.

'Why is she...?'

Tenten stood, sword gripped in her hand, knuckles almost white. Her head was lowered and she was...trembling?

"Uh... Tenten...? Yo, Tenten... You all right?" Naruto asked hesitantly

"Why...W...Why..." Tenten's hand holding the katana shook slightly "Why aren't you..." she raised her head and Naruto took an involuntary step back.

Her face was a mask of utter fury, brown eyes dark with barely restrained rage, lips twisted into a grimace that bared her teeth in animalistic fashion.

"Why aren't you TAKING ME SERIOUSLY?!" she snarled.

* * *

Up on the balcony Team Gai froze.

"Oh..." Lee whispered edging from the railing.

Neji, his face a little less impassive than usual took a small step back.

Without a word, Gai followed his student's prudent example.

Angery tenten meant Tenten with a lot of pointy kunai flying fast enough to give Neji a workout.

He was youthfully exuberant, not suicidical.

* * *

Naruto blinked.

"Huh?" He said eloquently.

"You... YOU..." her eyes narrowed, her voice choked. "I thought... I thought I had finally..." she swallowed, eyes narrowing "I wanted to fight with you so much... I wanted us to be EQUALS...I unsealed my grandfather's sword... FOR YOU!" She lowered her head again, whispering "And you SPAT on it... Am I such a joke to you...? Am I so worthless... so worthless you won't fight me seriously...?"

Naruto looked at her incredulously.

"What the HELL are you talking about? I'm fighting you with all I GOT!" He shouted.

"LIAR!" Tenten shouted fiercely "I saw you in the Forest of Death! Do you think I'm STUPID or BLIND?! I SAW! WHY?! Why won't you go all out?!" she shrieked "WHY?! Is it because I am a woman?! Because you think I'm so WEAK that I'm WORTHLESS?! Am I really such TRASH to you?!

"I TOLD you I'm going ALL OUT you crazy girl!" he said with exasperation.

She laughed mirthlessly.

It was an odd, hollow and cold thing that sent shivers down Naruto's spine, and not good ones either.

It felt like someone just walked over his grave.

"Lies...All lies..." her voice was calm, quiet but it carried an odd note of madness that crept Naruto more than her previous screams and accusations

"But it is fine. It's fine... If you don't want to... I will MAKE YOU!" Tenten snarled, reaching for the scroll on her back and cutting her finger and marking both the scroll and the sword with blood.

* * *

"Oh...no..." Gai's eyes widened.

The scrolls hit the ground.

"Kakashi...!" he started turning to his rival knowing it was too late.

* * *

She let the scroll fall down and kicked it open before stabbing the bloodied blade into it and making a quick series of seals.

She could hear Gai-sensei screaming something, but it didn't matter.

Nothing mattered except that...that utter FUCKER in front of her, his lies and her own crushed and stomped heart.

She saw red and black and white of bloodied scroll, of anger hate and humiliation.

The Youshin was her most precious possession, the greatest sword her grandfather created. His masterpiece. The crown and jewel of his life's work as a sword smith and a whim of sorts. It wasn't the ninjato or even kodachi, so typical in current times. It was a full sized, full fledged katana - a rarity.

The old man liked doing swords for ninja well enough, but Youshin was his dream. The greatest weapon for the greatest swordsman. But it was a weapon that never felt battle or hand of the worthy master.

Nobody used the true katana anymore.

Old fashioned. Obsolete. Cumbersome.

Chakra swords, fancy ninjato geared for channeling jutsu, chakra-storing kodachi...

Those were the tools of the age. All bright, shiny, exotic and flashy. Nobody valued the TRUE sword anymore. Nobody saw the need for the simple, ascetic beauty of efficient blade.

Nobody but her.

Her life revolved around Youshin since she was old enough to walk. She spent countless hours as a small child simply admiring the weapon. She could still spend whole day transfixed by its exquisite edge alone. She never used it. She wanted to use it only when she found a true use for the sword. Not some d-class gardening mission, training or even c-class drags.

A _true_ battle.

One where Youshin could finally show its true strength. One that would allow it to shine.

In the Forest of Death, he impressed her with his skill. Then he impressed her with his sword, as unique and beautiful weapon as she had ever seen. and with pure affection, even love that he gazed with at the weapon he called Benihime.

She felt almost giddy right then.

After so long she had finally found a kindred spirit. A person she could talk with who would connect with her on the same level. Person who wouldn't find her the 'odd tomboy with steel fixation'. The 'brutish knife weirdo'. The 'freak with kunai fetish'.

Oh she knew she wasn't normal. No normal four year old girl plays with knives instead of dolls and collects shuriken instead of flowers - even in a ninja village. It only got worse as she got older.

But here she had a person who had the very same gleam she saw in the mirror, the proud, heartfelt affection for a weapon.

When the board called out their names... She was ecstatic.

She had a chance to fight like she wanted. One-on-one. With blades in place of words. Sword against sword. Edge against edge. Steel against steel. Skill against skill. One exquisite, loved weapon against another exquisite, cherished weapon.

She gave him her all. Unsealed her dearest possession for him. Shown her innermost feeling openly and without reservation... and he _spat_ on them. Crushed them. Ridiculed them.

He _dared_ to hold back. As if she was unworthy of his skill, of his trust. As if she was some gutter trash.

She grabbed two more scrolls and marked them with blood.

Well she'd show him gutter trash.

She let loose the seals holding the scrolls closed.

And if he didn't want to go out... she would force him to even if it _killed_ him.

She glared at Naruto with utter loathing in her eyes.

"Sai Dai Kyu Soushuryu: Youshin Zansatsu Yomi." She spat hatefully trough gritted teeth.

The dragons rose, dark grey instead of white.

Naruto's eyes got very wide.

All hell broke loose.

* * *

Naruto breathed in the rosy scent and shivered as he felt the warm curves pressing to his back.

Pair of slender, pale arms hugged him, drawing him close.

"The girl is right you know..."

He shivered as the warm lips left a feather light trail on his neck.

"Fear... Nothing can be born from that. And you are afraid." She breathed into his ear.

"What are you..?!" he started to turn but the deceptively ethereal arms held him in place as if made of steel cords covered in silky smooth covering.

"Fear takes many faces, beloved... Fear of death... Fear of harm... Fear of injuring another..." She sighed, nuzzling his neck "Why do you fear so?"

Naruto slumped.

"I'm fighting with all I got... You know that." He muttered

"No you aren't." She said ruffling his hair "Skill wise... Maybe you do. But you still hesitate. Like in the Forest of Death... Only more so. You had a chance of a crippling blow to her arm at least twice. Yet you didn't. Why?"

"I don't wanna hurt her... Fighting is okay but..." His fists clenched "This ain't taijutsu, you know... She won't walk away with a burise or two! If I cut her... I Don't WANT to! She's a friend! It's not right!"

She laughed.

"Presumptious, aren't you?" she said with amusement "But by doing so you insult her... And you insult me as well." She gripped him tightly, and Naruto yelped as she bit his ear playfully. "She gave her all to you. She opened her heart completely. I could feel that in her cuts, you know. Her heart is crying." Benihime whispered gently. "She unveiled all of her feelings, all of her spirit in that fight... By not doing the same you do her a great wrong."

Naruto winced, guilt worming into his heart.

"And let me tell you... Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Benihime smirked "Which you should do well to remember in the future or it will land you in the situations like _this_!"

Naruto's eyes widened as suddenly his vision was swarmed with rain of steel from Tenten's jutsu for a brief second.

He yelped, but the steel rain vanished as if it was never there.

"See? You should have called me forth."

Naruto twisted his head, staring into crimson eyes with incomprehension.

"Between knowing and not knowing a name... calling it forth or not... There is a great difference in that." She explained patiently "As I am now, there is very little I can do to help you." She sighed, pouting "And here you go, putting yourself into a bind like that... Cutting and fighting... And you won't even alow me to have some fun. So inconsiderate of my feelings... Girl can get offended, you know!"

Naruto blinked owlishly.

She was probably the weirdest woman he'd ever met. Period. And not just because she was the coolest, most deadly sword he had ever seen.

Benihime glomped him with a squeal.

"Such a sweet boy you are, beloved!" She cooed, happily nuzzling his cheek "You flatterer you! You're making me blush!"

'Somehow I don't see it...' He thought trying not to get smothered to death.

"Now... As much as I'd like to keep you here more and all to myself, we don't exactly have time." She said, her ruby eyes turning serious "Without awakening there is very little I can do to help you... But I'm not exactly powerless either." she released him and grasped his head in between her pale palms. "I will give you what I can but it won't be much. You have one, single cut. You MUST make it count. What you will do after is up to you." She touched her forehead to his "Do not be afraid, my beloved. I am with you. Always. Step forward with no fear and you shall be truly invincible." She kissed him gently. "Remember... Nothing can be born from fear."

The world dissolved into scream of crimson.

* * *

Naruto blinked.

The reain of shuriken, knives, daggers, kamas and too many weapons to name was closing in fast.

He felt a brief stab of panic.

'Remember... Nothing can be born from fear.'

He frowned, his eyes scanning the rapidly closing mass of steel with almost inhuman focus.

'There!'

He raised the blade.

The first shuriken closed in so fast he could feel them cuting the air.

'Step forward with no fear and you shall be truly invincible.'

He brought the blade down in a blurring arc.

He could feel something deep inside rising up to the call, half forgotten, familiar feeling...

'YES!'

The trail of faint red exploded from Benihime's edge.

Faint, but more than enough.

Tenten's eyes widened as... something passed her, nearly invisible traces of crimson biting into the wall on her left.

The concrete whined nearly inaudubly, opening a hairline fracture with a quiet protest.

* * *

Up in the stands, Kakashi's eyes widened.

'What the...?' He thought numbly

Sakura smiled.

'I told you, sensei... Naruto is strong.' She thought with satisfaction.

'HELL YEAH!' Inner Sakura pumped her fists with glee 'Naruto KICKS ASS! Take THAT you porn loving cyclops!'

* * *

Gai's stood, his eyes wide.

'..Impossible...' He thought, 'Point blank... My god... Kakashi... What are you TEACHING this kid?!'

* * *

Kiba was, for once, imitating Shino to perfection with the utter silence and frozen posture.

'No...way...' He thought dumbly 'There is no... _fucking_...way that dobe can be THAT strong... How...?'

* * *

Hinata just smiled, her Byakugan not missing even the tiniest part of the fight.

Kurenai, her face impassive, just looked on.

Only her eyes, the crimson deeper, almost burgundy, betrayed that there was some unrest behind her emotionless mask.

* * *

Hokage's brows furrowed.

Sarutobi didn't like this development. He didn't like it at all.

He was happy for Naruto's new skill, of course. Kakashi had taught him well. His fight with Tenten was a magnificent show of his huge progress as a ninja and he was proud of the boy but... There were too many questions here. That kind of leap in skill was almost unnatural if you weren't an Uchiha who could simply copy the techniques. And even Uchiha wouldn't be able to do more than just copy. Combat style was something that had to be learned through sweat and blood during training and through experience.

And no matter how much he trained in the past few months Naruto wouldn't be able to reach such an easy profciency. Moreover, he knew of each and every sword style practiced in Konoha - which wasn't much of a feat since there were all of five of them, six if you included what was taught to ANBU members.

What Naruto was showing didn't look like any of them. Which meant nobody in Konoha could have taught him.

Sarutobi really didn't like the implications of that.

That sword was even more worrisome. Magnificently crafted, it was obviously as expensive as it was beautiful. The hilt itself must have cost a small fortune. Worth of the blade... Sarutobi didn't even want to try to appraise that. Samurai and Shinobi alike would kill for a weapon of that quality without batting an eye.

It wasn't just the quality. It was clearly a chakra weapon - its almost unnatural sharpness and what he saw now a blatant proof of that fact.

He knew Youshin well. Kotaro was an old friend and a master swordsmith of the highest caliber. Every one of his weapons was a deadly work of art, but Youshin was the pinnacle of his work. Any lesser sword that met this blade would be at least nicked, most probably cut.

Despite that, Naruto's blade was pristine and gleamed with the same magnificent shine, not even a scratch marring the edge.

Ordinary steel, even reinforced by chakra (and Sarutobi doubted Naruto knew how to do that) wouldn't be able to stand such punishment with no mark to show for it.

That meant it was a chakra blade of sorts. A powerful one at that, as the latest stunt indicated. It wasn't so much the technique, as powerful as it was, but the fact that he felt nearly no chakra from it. Which was ridiculous since something like that obviously required plenty of power. Naruto simply didn't have such fine tuned control - even most medic nin didn't have it. Which meant that the sword was masking the chakra it released.

He never heard of a chakra blade with that sort of ability and that worried him. Even more worrisome was the question just how Naruto, of all people, managed to get his hand on such a weapon. High powered chakra weapons, which the sword obviously was, were rare and few villages, aside from Mist, had more than a handful of them at any given time. And since any chakra blade in Konoha was known and accounted for...

Sarutobi's brows furrowed even further.

An unknown chakra blade, capable of masking released chakra and with crimson color scheme...

He sighed tiredly, feeling the weight of each and every of his past days on his old shoulders.

'This isn't going to end well...'

* * *

Shikamaru was the only genin to look beyond Naruto's form and instead turn to Tenten.

His eyes narrowed as he noticed the thin line of cut concrete.

'I knew it...'

The Nara heir scowled.

He didn't know why, but he had a feeling situation just got very troublesome somehow.

* * *

Naruto caught the air greedily, gasping for each and every shred he could inhale.

'That was cool... but _damn_ tiresome...' He thought, catching his breath and rising his lowered head.

His eyes widened as he took the scattered weapons all around him.

'Damn... How much of pointy, stabby things does that girl HAVE?!' He thought incredously looking around 'Kama, kusari, shurken, fuuma shurken, kunai, dagger, some kind of weird hook thingy, mace, morningstar, katar... gods... Some of those things I can't even _name_!' the blond shook his head 'Now that... is just impressive.'

His eyes wandered through the collection strewn on the arena floor before comming upon a section that was distinctively different from the others.

Different meaning it was basically cut in half in single line. Line that stretchd through each and every weapon up to Tenten.

Naruto blinked owlishly.

'If that is Benihime's _little_...' He thought dumbly.

It was that momment he decided that no matter how much she loved him, pissing her off was just damn bad idea.

'I wonder if she likes flowers... Though giving them to her would be kinda problematic...' Naruto mused before shaking his head 'Well, that's not the girl I need to calm down now...'

He looked to Tenten who was just staring dumbly at her neatly cut up weapons.

"Sorry..." Naruto said sheepisly "Kinda didn't have a choice here..."

Tenten raised her eyes at him, giving him an incredulous look.

"Sorry...he says..." she muttered dazedly before her fury rekindled "You bastard... you CUT my WEAPONS!"

* * *

Gai looked oddly at his two pupils.

"Neji... Lee... Just what are you doing?" He asked carefuly, looking at Hyuuga's bowed head, pose mirrored by his spandex clad teammate.

Neji and Lee stopped for a few seconds and looked at each other before looking at their teacher.

Both had the same incredulous expression, which looked incredibly weird on their faces.

"Gai-sensei... Have you ever seen what happens if somebody so much as scratches something from Tenten's collection?" Neji said slowly

Gai blinked.

"Ah." The jounin nodded slowly in understanding "I think I shall join you, if you don't mind?" He said lowering his head and clasping hands in prayer for the poor soul whose youth was to be so viciously and inevitably interrupted.

Thus 3/4's of Team Gai reached a new level of teamwork as they prayed for the poor and soon-to-be-mincemeat's tragic passing.

* * *

"What I was supposed to do do?! Get myself turned into sashimi?!" Naruto shouted ducking under shuriken and swatting the senbon aimed for his head.

"YES!" Tenten sent another volley of shuriken, her eyes blazing in fury.

'Damn... that's one SCARY girl!' Naruto thought desperately dodging the deadly projectiles 'She's almost as scary as Sakura when she's mad!'

"DIE DIE DIE!" Tenten snarled sending another impossibly large stream of pointy steel at him "And STAY DEAD!"

'Screw this! She's scarier than Sakura-chan could _ever_ be!' Naruto thought avoiding pointy death at hair's breath and getting his jacket shredded in the process.

He jumped up, avoiding a stream of shiny death that went too low to dodge and immideatly had to use Benihime to swat several kunai out of the air.

The sword vibrated in his hand, letting out a low, hissing note and he could hear her warm chukle.

'Well you _certainly_ ain't helping here!' He snapped mentally bouncing from the nearby wall hastily as the kunai traced his path.

His eyes widened and he yelped, forcing himself into a ball and going down.

'Using RICOCHETS?!' He thought incredously 'That girl is NUTS!'

"Can't we talk about it?" he shouted desperately, nearly breaking his neck as he slid into a low duck under two fuuma shurken that came out of nowhere.

"NO!" She growled "JUST DIE!"

'Cheery, ain't she?' He thought sarcastically swatting the closest shuriken back at her.

Which proved to an extremely stupid idea as she simply sent two kunai that not only hit it and sent it back at twice the speed but also gave him two more kunai to worry about.

'Note to self - never, EVER, piss off a girl with collection of pointy things and godlike aim EVER AGAIN.' Naruto twirled Benihime quckly, turning her into blurry circle to deflect the barrage.

Tenten snarled and sent even more shuriken.

'Another note to self - appease Tenten by ANY MEANS NECCESARY and NEVER piss her off again!'

Benihime laughed as he dodged another volley.

* * *

Hayate stopped standing in his usual lounging slouch long before. His sunken eyes were unusually focused and bright as he tracked the two fighting genin with an eye of the consummate proffesional.

Now _this_ was entertainment!

It wasn't exactly the first time he had been a chuunin exam proctor so he knew what to expect.

Lame tactics. Messy jutsu. Little skill.

Boring.

Most of the genin went for the flashy stuff while ignoring simpler, more direct methods that would work better. And since they lacked power, expereince and control, that flashy stuff often backfired in most stupid, if amusing, ways.

This fight, however... This was something else.

He had heard of Tenten, of course. Any of Konoha's weaponmasters did. It was a small, tight circle and any genin who was so focused and had this much skill and dedication to weapons was bound to make waves.

The Naruto kid however, was a surprise, if a damn fine one.

Hayate quite frankly didn't give a shit that the brat was a Kyuubi container, was hated by good part of the village or if he was troublesome and loud. Any genin with this kind of skill with a sword was worth looking into.

His mind subconsciously analysed the cuts, saw through the parries and catolgued tactics used by both fighters, already finding points where it could be improved.

His eyes widened as the blonde swatted the fuuma shuriken back at the girl only to avoid it and making a lunging upwards stab that took care of it before twirling the sword in an amazing display of dexterity.

Hayate knew that manouver. He had, in fact, a disturbingly similar one inhis arsenal called Getsuiei, though not as sloppy.

And judging by the shaky, chaotic execution, the kid did it on instinct alone.

'Though that follow up was just awful' Hayate winced 'The kid seriously needs a few pointers...' He tsked 'And the footwork REALLY needs some improvement.. Honestly! He's wasting a third of attack power with that! Though that cut right after was quite clever... Never seen it done like that before...'

* * *

Naruto stood in the center of the arena, panting and sweating like crazy.

Tenten glared at him, teeth gritted, fists clenched.

'No shuriken left...and THANK THE GODS!' Naruto thought with relief 'I don't think I could do it much longer.'

Then Tenten's hands relaxed, her scowl slowly turned into a nasty smirk.

'Oh I don't like that expression...' Naruto thought with a skinking feeling.

"You think it's over?" She asked with a dark chuckle "It isn't even close. In fact, it's just beginning." She stretched her arms to the sides and somethning glinted. The countless weapons on the arena, evne those in the walls, stirred.

Naruto's eyes became very wide.

'Oh don't tell me...' He traced the glinting lines extending from her fingers to the weapons all around him 'She didn't... She couldn't!'

As she drew her arms to her, the weapons jumped.

'She _could_ and she _did_.' Naruto sighed 'Well at least I have few seconds so..."

'Heh... Sorry, Tenten.' He smiled Tiredly, before his eyes hardened. "Okiro... _Benhime_!"

'Well it was about _time_!' Came the amused female voice 'I think I told you not to piss her off further?'

Naruto's eyebrow twitched.

'Just... Shut up.'

The air around the blade hissed before sending a pulse of power out.

Tenten looked at him warily.

"Hey, Tenten..." He looked at the weapon mistress "You thought I wasn't going full out, huh? Well, I was. But she, " he indicated the sword "wasn't."

STenten scowled.

That bastard... Holding some kind of fancy technique even at this point! He was _still_ taking her lightly!

"Whatever kind of fancy power that chakra blade has..." she spat through gritted her teeth "It won't help you now!" She spread her arms apart and the weapons started their dance of death.

And the bastard had the gall to SMILE.

'That's IT!' She thought furiously, moving her arms in furious pattern "DIE!"

'I told you - Hell hath no fury like the woman scorned, my beloved.' Benihime's amused voice sounded in his ears even as he brough blade up.

'Yeah, yeah. Whatever!' He grumbled. 'Do your stuff!'

'My my... You're no fun when you're grouchy, beloved.' She snickered 'Let me sing a song to cheer you up.'

And sing she did. Song in red torrent of howling power, screaming air and cracking conrete.

* * *

Tenten opened her eyes and warily lowered her hands that covered her face with, only to blink.

The arena was a mess. There were several small gouges from her own weapons and one or two broen tiles from Narut's missed swings. But that was nothing compared to the calamity wrought with that one last move.

Tenten stared at the deep, wide gouge where Benihime touched the stone and the shattered floor around it, her weapons with it, in amazement.

'With one...attack...' She thought dumbly 'Unreal...'

She knew that there were jutsu that were even more destructive - like any of the 'dragon' types, but to see something like this from a fellow genin...'Un-fucking-believable...'

A loud pant interrupted her trail of thought

"That was... exhausting" Naruto breathed in deeply, closing his yes for a moment. 'But DAMN if it wasn't cool!' He thought gleefuly as his heavy breathing subsided.

"Hehe... All right!" He looked at Tenten with a smile "So... we're doing it or what?"

"What?" She looked at him blankly

"You know... Swordfighting?" he waved Benihime around few times to make a point. "Trying to cut each other up and stuff?"

She looked at him incredously.

'Is this guy... for _real_?'

"Well if you didn't notice you kind of _destroyed_ anything I could fight you with." She snapped bitterly.

"No I didn't!" He scowled indignantly pointing at something at her left

Tenten turned a little bit, trying not to lose the sight of her opponent... And her jaw nearly hit the floor.

'I don't believe this...' She looked at Youshin, still stuck into the Arena floor at the very same spot and obviously untouched.

She turned to Naruto so fast she almost got a whiplash.

"You didn't...?" she started in amazement

"OF COURSE I didn't!" he said offended "Whaddaya TAKE me for? It's precious to you and it's a gift from your precious person... I'd never destroy it!" He grumbled before brightning "So... " He gripped Benihime, smiling widely. "Ready?"

Tenten just stared.

'Unreal... He is... just...' She looked at the outrageous orange jumpsuit, ripped and bloody in the places she got him with her shuriken, the face cut slightly, eyes tired but holding that mischeveious, eager spark, Benihime in his hand and wide smile on his face... And she couldn't help it.

She smiled. Then snickered. Then she started laughing.

Tears fell from her eyes as she held her stomach and laughed herself stupid to the point that she nearly hit the floor.

"Well that's just mean..." Naruto muttered with a scowl looking so adorably indignant that she burst out with yet another bout of mad laughter.

E-hehe-Exa-hahaha-Examiner... I give up..." she said, finaly managing to get herself under ctonrol after few moments

Naruto looked at her with eide eyes.

"Bu-b-but!" Naruto sputtered

"I give up, Examiner!" She smiled at Naruto "He defeated me... I won't fight anymore. I'm out."

Hayate nodded.

"But I wanted to fight MORE!" Naruto protested "And Benihime is all up for it, too!" He waved the sword "Come on, Tenten!" he whined

"Tough luck." She said with a smirk

"But...!"

"Now, now... Don't whine." She chided him, putting Youshin into a scabbard "Girls don't like it when guys whine."

"I still say It's not fair..." He muttered with a scowl.

"Life ain't fair. Deal." She smiled beatifically.

Hayate coughed.

"If the teenage drama is over... We have the arena to fix and a match to host so..." He motioned for the stairs, coincidentally only one that weren't shredded by Naruto's blast and Tenten's jutsu.

"I still say that's mean." The blonde grumbled as they walked up the stairs. "And you got me so into it, too..."

"Hmm... So I did." She said patting her chin.

The weapon mistress cocked her head to the side, looking at him.

"Hmm..."

"What?" He siad supsiciously.

"Oh nothing." She smiled innocently "Could you come here for a second?"

Naruto looked at her suspiciously, but walked up to her.

He expected... Well, he didn't know what to expect, to be honest. A slap of rage. A fist to the face. A promise of retribution for her weapons and her loss...

Most certainly.

A kiss, however, was not on the list.

And it was a good kiss, even if not one of the 'hot, steamy and pure sex' variety Benihime introduced him to.

Her lips tasted slightly of blood, she must have either bit them or he injured her somehow during their fight. She also tasted like sesame and steel. Naruto could smell her sweat mixed with delicate jasmine fragrance as she grabbed his head, drawing him to herself.

When she finally let him go, he was left breathless, flushed and confused as hell.

"What was _that_ for?" He asked dazedly

Tenten smiled, that small, all kowing yet mysterious smile that disturbingly reminded him of certain woman in the crimson castle.

"If you have to ask, you'll never know." Then she all but skipped to her team, humming.

'I will never understand women...' Naruto thought touching his lips numbly .

Benihime laughed.

'I like her style.'

Naruto stared at his sword, companion, whatever-the-hell-she-was and sighed, palming his face.

'Of course you do.' He deadpanned, walking back to his team.

* * *

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

Crimson Edge

Chapter 3

* * *

"Withering flowers."

* * *

It was a strangely surreal sight, in its own way.

The orange jumpsuit was torn and blooded, ripped in a series of cris-crossed lines, most of them tinged with red, some still letting the crimson liquid run freely.

The sunny mane was matted with grime and sweat, the face nicked and cut, eyes tired. Not dull. Not vibrant either but... There was something there. Something Sakura didn't recognize. And that scared her a little, because it didn't burn, it didn't blaze - it just was.

The steps were even worse. Measured. Slow. Inevitable.

Naruto didn't walk like that. Naruto ran. Jumped. Swaggered confidently, albeit a tad comically.

This tired, yet strangely confident gait, even as the blood dripped slowly from his wounds, staining his hands with fresh rivulets of crimson...

Sakura swallowed.

Even in those ridiculously orange and now quite ripped clothes, Naruto looked... Confident. Unyielding. Proud.

With that beautiful sword, edge that almost glimmered with its own light he was...

Dare she say it?

Regal.

Sakura swept her eyes over the bloody hand that gripped the beautiful weapon, somehow managing to avoid staining its ornamental handle with blood despite the droplets staining the floor every few steps.

Intimidating.

If somebody had told her a week before that Naruto - Uzumaki-freaking-loudmouth-idiot-Naruto! - could look like that she'd laugh. Then she'd have he person committed to the mental ward.

Now... Now she didn't know what to think anymore.

Sasuke was the regal one, the handsome fairy tale prince. Powerful, confident and strong, descendant of a noble clan marred with just enough of a dark, angst-filled past to make him oh-so-attractive. A perfect fit for a teenage girl's fantasy.

Naruto? Naruto was the clown. The jester, the village idiot that nobody in their right mind took seriously. No girl, that's for certain. Loud, obnoxious, stubborn as a mule. A fool. An annoying fool, at that. Dobe. Dead last at everything. Like always, Sasuke's label summed him up perfectly.

Only...

Only...

Naruto didn't look like a clown anymore. Not when he walked with that unhurried gait and brandished that sword as if he had held it all his life. The weapon, regal, beautiful and deadly was so out of place in hand of the blonde teenager in the ripped orange jumpsuit that she wanted to laugh. She would if it didn't look like a part of him, like it was in just the place it should be. There, in Naruto's bloody grip.

If Sasuke was a fairy tale prince, Naruto looked like some kind of fierce knight or a samurai straight out of some epic.

Not that she'd admit it out loud, of course.

Sakura blinked as Naruto walked up to their platform and stopped.

The blond sighed, lowering his head and hoisting the sword on his shoulder, balancing it there as if he had done nothing else his whole life.

'You know... He looks kind of cool when he does that.' Muttered Inner Sakura, for once not screaming on top of her lungs.

"Now that..." Naruto said lowly "That..."

Sakura inched closer to hear his words.

Naruto raised his head, allowing her to see his blue eyes sparkling wildly, wide and slightly demented grin on his face.

"That was SOOOOO DAMN COOL! I GOT to do that again!" He crowed with glee "I wonder if Tenten has some time to spare after the exams..." He muttered, eyes squinted in his thoughtful frown.

Sakura just stared.

For once Inner Sakura was out of things to say.

"Hey, hey... Sakura-chan... You all right?"

Sakura just twitched.

* * *

As much as Kakashi wanted some words with Naruto, he quickly found it was not to be.

"My youthful rival." For once, Gai's voice wasn't a booming, exuberant tone he usually used "I must commend you on the youthful skill of your pupils. But teaching a genin something like that... Aren't you going a little too far, my esteemed rival?"

Kakashi blinked.

"Huh? You said something?"

Gai's eyebrow twitched.

'Good reaction, my rival. It's somewhat modern... And it pisses me off.'

"As much as I hate to admit it Gai is right, Kakashi-san." Said Kurenai, her beautiful face in a frown "Teaching something so powerful to a genin... This is way out of line, Kakashi-san."

The Copycat looked at Kurenai blankly. Though he didn't like the situation much himself, what he taught his students was his business alone. No rookie jounin had any right to say otherwise.

"What I teach my students is none of your concern, Kurenai-san." He said impassively "Please, stay out of matters that don't concern you. Those kids are my soldiers. They will learn whatever I deem necessary for them to learn."

The crimson eyed jounin glared at her colleague. Kakashi gave her his famous lazy, bored stare in return.

"Kurenai is right, Kakashi." Asuma's calm voice broke the contest of wills like one of his trench knives "Something so powerful... This isn't something a genin with so little control like the Uzumaki brat can handle. This was no genin technique. Not even a chuunin one. This was jounin-level. Easily. What if he lost control of it? Have you even thought of that?"

Kakashi's one visible eye narrowed.

Asuma was angry, though he had no idea why. But the symptoms were there. His usually carefree, lazy posture was stiff; face calm but oddly cold, as were his eyes. The ever present cigarette was gone from his mouth, to Kakashi's surprise, meaning Asuma was serious. A little more and Asuma would twirling one of his knives lazily, a habit he had observed during their ANBU service. And when he did that it meant Asuma the Edge was in and somebody was going to die. To be so close to that state...

Asuma stared at Kakashi, anger simmering under surface before he turned away.

'He just doesn't _get_ it, does he?' He thought angrily 'This kind of technique isn't like a jutsu that can be directed by a seal or two. If he looses control he can easily cut himself. And with that amount of power he displayed he'd be lucky if he just lost his arm. He could have killed both himself and that girl with it. This isn't something for a genin to learn, damn it! I wouldn't trust a chuunin with that kind of stuff! What the HELL is he thinking?!' Asuma frowned thoughtfully 'Though just how Kakashi taught him something like that that I have no idea. This kind of thing looks like the air type. He's lightning type, something like that isn't possible for him to do. Sharingan can't copy things like that either...'

He turned towards the copycat, opening his mouth before Hayate's cough interrupted him.

"Kinuta Dosu, Akimichi Chouji... Please get down to Arena."

Asuma threw a quick, grim look to Kakashi.

'This isn't over, Hatake.' He thought turning to his student 'Not by a long shot.'

* * *

Naruto ran a hand through his dirty and sweaty mop of hair.

'Damn, I'm bushed.' He thought tiredly and winced at the shot of pain made itself known. 'Those cuts aren't helping either.'

The medic nins healed the most dangerous ones and he didn't bleed on the floor anymore but they still stung like hell. Sweat getting under the bandages wasn't extremely pleasant either.

He needed a bath, a bowl of ramen and some sleep.

'Well that and new clothes.' Naruto thought ruefully, fingering cuts on his ruined jumpsuit. 'Damn. I can't fix that. It's practically falling apart. I'll need to get something new to put on myself.' He thought with a sigh.

He liked that jumpsuit goddamnit!

'Might I suggest something red?'

'Red?' Naruto blinked 'Ah, you mean like you?'

Benihime fell silent for a second before chuckling.

'As much... fun' Naruto shivered when he felt Benihime's hot lips on his neck 'that would be, no. I meant something in red. Maybe burgundy. It would go with your hair and would be a good color for a ninja.'

'Doesn't red kinda stand out?' Naruto scratched his head.

'Doesn't orange stand out more?' Riposted the woman 'Besides, burgundy would serve you well at night - it's almost as good as black.'

Naruto scowled.

He _liked_ orange. But she had a point.

'Of course I do. I have plenty of... points.' She chuckled darkly, though there was something in that husky chuckle that made swallowing a problem.

'So innocent...' She hugged him tightly, sighing in contentment 'We're going to have so much fun ridding you of that, my beloved!'

Naruto, clueless as he was, didn't know if the shiver that ran through him was one of happiness or one of fear.

He settled for both.

Benihime's wicked purr echoing in his ears didn't help at all.

* * *

Sakura looked at her strangely behaving teammate.

Naruto looked a little pale and somewhat nervous, licking his lips as he stood stiffly, his eyebrow twitching slightly. His hand was gripped around the handle of that weird sword, thumb gently caressing the curved end in an almost unconscious move. His eyes were half lidded and... Was he blushing?

Did he just shiver?

'Maybe it's exhaustion?'

Inner Sakura 'looked' at the Outer part of herself with disbelief.

'Exhaustion. _Right_. Suuure it is. It's not that hot babe fondling him at all. Nope. He's not nearly having sex while fucking STANDING on the platform near you. No. _Oh no_. It's _exhaustion_.'

Sakura blinked.

'What?' She thought already devoting most of her attention to watching the Arena.

Inner Sakura fell silent.

The moment was lost as Sakura concentrated on the match below them.

* * *

Naruto sighed tiredly, leaning over the railing.

He had a bad feeling, though he had no idea why. Sure, Chouji's fight with that Sound guy was... well, pathetic, and Shikamaru's win was unexpected. Not because the lazy bastard was weak - Naruto knew that Shikamaru was always more than he let on. He did help him avoid ANBU after that one prank and that took some skill.

But Shikamaru was just that - lazy.

It honestly amazed him he even bothered enough not to quit. Competing just wasn't a thing that Shikamaru tended to do. Fighting in some tournament was just a hassle to the shadow user. Hell, even breathing was a hassle.

And fighting against a girl, of all things...

Naruto had a good laugh at that.

But then things stopped being so fun anymore.

Gaara was bad news. It wasn't that cold, yet strangely malicious look in his eyes or that vicious yet apathetic confidence.

There was... something about the redhead that just raised Naruto's hackles. Something fierce and... wrong... that he had felt the first moment he laid his eyes on the sand master. If you asked Naruto, he wouldn't be able to give the exact reason.

It was fierce, primal, unsettling...

And it made the furball in his stomach... react, for the lack of better word.

Like then, on the bridge, he felt a spike of malevolent, vicious power flowing inside of him like a blazing torrent. Had he used any jutsu, he was sure the red would overwhelm the blue. His whole body itched and he felt the pressure behind his eyes building with the same gnawing intensity like during the fight with Haku. He was sure his eyes would be crimson if he used the tiniest smidgen of chakra when he first met Gaara.

It wasn't rage, something he was accustomed to feeling when dealing with Kyuubi. It was a primal, savage need to utterly crush the red-haired sand Nin, to break his bones, rip his flesh and grind his face under his sandal to show who was superior, who held more power.

It scared him because Kyuubi _never_ reacted in this way before. Not that he was an expert or anything, but ever since using the demon chakra on the bridge the beast was more... vocal. The Youko didn't speak, or anything remotely similar, but emotions were enough. Like that time he was angry at losing to Sasuke during the sparring match. The sudden torrent of red chakra was... amused. And he didn't reach for it. It came on its own. With pure rage of Kyuubi and his own anger buzzing in his head he barely resisted clawing at Sasuke's sharingan that day. And that was just a sliver of Kyuubi's chakra. What he felt when he saw that Suna Nin... It was a whole another ballgame.

Lee, quite frankly amazed him. The spandex-clad boy just jumped in, almost deliriously happy. He even said so out loud without any apprehension whatsoever. And once he got _going_...

Whoooo.

Naruto, at that point, didn't care just how freaking ridiculous and bushy-eyebrows was.

The guy was _powerful_.

When Gaara revealed that 'ultimate defense' sand shit of his, Naruto was sure that Lee was done for.

Penetrating something like that...

But then Lee released those weights and _really_ got a move on.

He thought Sasuke was fast but what he saw the spandex-clad genin do... That kind of speed... It was freaking ridiculous.

He saw Kakashi-sensei moving like this during the fight with Zabuza. Some weirdo genin moving like a jounin was freaking incredible.

And then Lee opened those Gate thingies... Things went from ridiculous to bloody unreal.

With emphasis on bloody.

Because despite the unreal speed, blows that shattered concrete like tissue paper and kicks that nearly left an after image, things went to hell in a hand basket.

Gaara just went nuts, the calm veneer dropping like a cheap genjutsu, revealing a fucking raging psycho. Psycho with plenty of power to throw around.

Naruto thought the Wave mission hardened him. He saw a kid ran through the chest with the Chidori, for gods' sake!

But Gaara was on whole another level.

That sand ripping through Lee's defenses, smothering, suffocating, ripping flesh and crushing bone... And then the guy smiled with glee. Like a demented child playing with a toy. As if crushing his leg and a hand wasn't enough, Gaara went after Lee again. If Gai-sensei didn't step in...

Gritting his teeth, Naruto scowled.

He didn't care what it took; Gaara was going down, one way or another, and he was going to be there when he did.

But still, even with his leg crushed, body mangled, Lee stood on. Lee faced Gaara with all he got, got tossed around like a doll, a broken doll at that... and still got up for more. He stood there, unconscious, broken and bleeding... And still ready to fight.

As much as his taijutsu was impressive, as much as his Gate trick was frigging awesome, that one thing assured Naruto that ridiculous spandex and bowl cuts aside, Lee was cool.

Pity his other male teammate wasn't nearly as cool.

Naruto gripped his hand on Benihime's hilt, his knuckles white from pressure.

Even her loving touch didn't help as Naruto watched the slaughter on the arena. He didn't know much about Hinata. They were in the same class, sure, but she didn't even register at best of times. She was the shy, stuttering weirdo so withdrawn even Iruka sometimes forgot she was there, no matter the rest of the class.

He didn't know much about her, but she was a 'fellow outcast', so he probably knew more than most. Not that it was much, really, since the one time he approached her to skip the class with Kiba and Shikamaru she squeaked and almost ran into a wall. But he knew that Hinata, despite being the 'dark weirdo' was a gentle and kind person. Too shy and odd for his tastes, but good person none the less.

What that... that BASTARD was doing...

Naruto growled.

It wasn't the vicious beating. It was the chuunin exam. They were ninja. Family, friends... That didn't matter here. They were here to fight. They were here to win by any means necessary.

But the words... The caustic, painful barbs almost dripping with venom...

The way Neji clinically, hatefully, arrogantly and without a shred of remorse ripped Hinata to shreds verbally before and during the fight...

It went beyond the pale.

Hinata didn't deserve this. _Nobody_ deserved this.

Neji calling her a loser, his hateful speech about that 'fate' crap...  
It touched a chord within Naruto, a deep, unpleasant chord that rang with hate, loneliness and failed exams. The same one that rang every time he saw Sasuke's arrogant smirk, heard Sakura's angry rebuttals, or suffered Kakashi's lazy dismissal.

It rang with 'demon brat' and 'loser' and 'dead last'... and it pissed Naruto off. His shout to Hinata to not even think about giving up was as much for her as for him. Because what he saw down there wasn't the gentle 'dark weirdo' getting crushed with hateful arrogance and overpowering skill.

He saw himself. He saw Sasuke, arrogant smirk on his bishounen face that all of Konoha loved so much. He saw a back with the Uchiha fan. He saw spinning sharingan taunting him with power of 'noble blood' and a history of invincibility. He saw jutsu he didn't have, skill that made the top rookie who he was, and the smug belief in the superiority of the bloodline limit.

She couldn't win. He wasn't stupid. Despite much of the macho crap he spouted, he understood early on that you couldn't win with guts alone.

Wave taught him that. Haku taught him that.

But not giving all you got, lacking the will to step up against the odds, no matter how badly they are stacked against you...

Benihime was right on so many levels.

Nothing could be born from fear. Especially not victory.

But victory wasn't always in winning. His match with Tenten helped him to realize that. She lost but she didn't look like she did. She was, as strange as it was, happy. And, oddly enough, so was he. He knew, without a doubt, that even if he had lost to Tenten, he would be happy, and not just because swinging Benihime against that cool Youshin of hers was damn fun.

Hinata stood up. Faced the overwhelming odds with determination. She stepped forward.

That kind of person he could respect. Even like.

Neji, on the other hand...

Naruto frowned watching Neji's face.

'What is that bastard...?'

His eyes widened as the rage flashed through Hyuuga prodigy's face, his legs already taking the steps, his hands moving in the now-familiar pattern.

* * *

If you asked him later, Naruto wouldn't be able to tell when he vaulted over the railing or how he shrugged of the bandages covering Benihime. All he would remember would be standing still at one second and rushing through the air, Benihime howling ominously the next.

He didn't notice Gai, Hayate and Kakashi holding the Hyuuga genius back. He didn't pay attention to Kurenai's attractive form crouching next to him. All he saw was outstretched hand. His hand, and the gleaming edge, Benihime murmuring a slow dirge barely a centimeter from Neji's eyes.

"Bastard... One fucking move and I swear... Benihime will make you fucking _cry_ blood." The blond growled

Gai was saying something, but Naruto ignored him, staring into the lavender orbs with barely restrained fury. Neji returned the stare without flinching, though he did pull his head back slightly.

"The other jounin... Even you..." he muttered through clenched teeth. "I see... More special treatment for the Main family."

Naruto glared.

'What an asshole...'

He heard a gurgling cough and his eyes widened.

'Hinata!'

Naruto turned only to see the pale girl fall to her knees.

He jumped to her.

"Hinata! Are you all right?! Hinata!"

The medic nin swarmed the arena immediately and Naruto scowled as the fussed, taking her away until he heard Neji's voice

"Hey, loser..."

Naruto stiffened, turning to the Hyuuga prodigy.

"I'd like to tell you two things." Neji said coldly, "First off, if you think yourself a shinobi, stop cheering for others. It's pathetic." The Hyuuga looked at him with a tiny smirk "And second... Losers are just that. Losers. No matter what they do, they can't change."

Naruto lowered his head, gripping Benihime tightly.

His knuckles went white and his hand started to shake.

'Hand..? No.' Neji's eyes widened 'It's that sword!'

At any other time Naruto might have thrown an insult, a brash word or two. Here and now, with Benihime's angry growl and ominous song running through his mind there was only one answer.

The edge gleamed, letting off a low, menacing sound. Smoke stained with a crimson haze rose from the blade, coiling around her graceful form like hungry snakes.

"Okiro... BENIHIME."

The pulse of power resounded through him like a bell. Bluish arcs tinged with tiniest flash of crimson danced through the air.

Step up.

And like that one time on the Forest of Death, bright azure turned cold. The world kicked into high gear.

He went nearly half of the distance before a gloved hand caught his shoulder while another took the wrist holding Benihime into a vice grip.

Kakashi looked down on his student impassively.

"That's enough, Naruto."

The blond raised his head, revealing pair of frozen lakes glimmering with cold fury.

"Let. _Go_." The words were said in an odd, toneless monotone that made Kakashi raise an eyebrow slowly. He heard such voices before. Only never from a rookie genin. That characteristic, strangely calm tone of man about to kill...

Kakashi frowned inwardly, but kept his outward emotionless visage.

"Stand down Naruto." He said calmly, but increased pressure on the wrist slightly. "That's an order. Or do you want to be disqualified?"

The blond stared into Kakashi's eyes unflinchingly, fury dancing deep inside the arctic chill.

Kakashi returned the cold rage with his indifferent gaze.

The contest of wills went on for a few moments before Naruto reluctantly lowered his head, ceasing his struggle.

Cautiously, Kakashi let his student go.

Hinata's cough cut into the silence like a wet knife.

The Copycat threw a warning glance at his student.

Naruto saw the blood flowing from the Hyuuga heiress' lips and grit his teeth, his head lowering even more.

The Hyuuga prodigy turned to walk away until Naruto's words stopped him.

"Neji..." Naruto's tone was soft. But it was the kind of softness that raised your hackles and made you look for a knife to your throat that you knew was coming. "If I were you, I'd start praying."

The Hyuuga looked at the blonde in the ripped jumpsuit and raised an aristocratic eyebrow.

"Cause _she_ " he hefted the sword on his shoulder slowly, the edge gleaming sinisterly" is kinda pissed. And so am I." Naruto raised his head, his blue eyes blazing in barely restrained fury "If we meet in the finals... We will _break_ you."

Neji snorted before turning and walking away.

Naruto looked up at Kakashi impassively.

" _Move_."

The jounin raised an eyebrow.

Hayate coughed.

"Haruno Sakura, Sabaku no Temari. Your fight is now. Please report to the Arena." He said looking at Kakashi pointedly.

The jounin let out a small sigh, looking back to his student and blinked.

'When did he...?'

He turned his head to see his blonde pupil already on the stairs and walking towards their platform.

He sighed again.

'Some days I think Shikaku is right. So... troublesome.'

* * *

"So... I am a loser too in your eyes. Good to know."

Neji halted, turning to look at his female teammate quizzically.

"Well I lost to the loser. So that makes me one as well, you know." she said calmly.

Neji stared.

"What are you...?" He muttered incredulously.

"Though if that is a loser in your eyes... Then I'd gladly call myself one." She looked at him, her gaze holding no emotion whatsoever. "I thought I knew you, Neji-kun, I really did. But it seems loser like me can't know you at all... Hyuuga Neji-san."

"Tenten..." He said frowning. It wasn't quite... pleading. He was a Hyuuga, after all, but...

"Please, do not refer to the loser so familiarly, Hyuuga-san." She said with chilling calm "You might get dirty."

"You are... overreacting." Neji said, doing his best to remain calm.

Tenten looked at him for a second, something odd flashing through her eyes briefly.

Even priding himself on reading people like he did, Neji couldn't quite make out just what it was. Though that it wasn't pleasant he was damn sure.

"I beg to differ, Hyuuga-san." If her voice was cold before, now it was downright chilling, her brown eyes like frozen icicles. "And I think it would be prudent if you found someone to... aid you in mastering your Kaiten. For a loser like me is not fit to help someone of your station, I'm afraid."

Neji froze.

"So you... refuse to help me? To do what? Spend time with your... boyfriend?" He snapped out venomously, his patience too frayed to hold his temper in check.

Tenten eyes were thoughtful for a second.

"That is a truly excellent suggestion, Hyuuga-san. I thank you for it." She bowed to him, formally. "After all, we losers must stick together. Unlike people of your station, we can't be alone. This is your... privilege." She bowed again, before turning to the arena.

Neji stood there, only his Hyuuga pride and discipline holding him back from grabbing her and asking just what did he do to warrant such ire.

'What is she so angry about?!' He thought gritting his teeth. 'I won. I might have been little brutal... but that main house weakling deserves anything she got. She's a disgrace! And Tenten knows this. She knows how I feel about the main house so why?'

But he was a Hyuuga. The decorum was to be maintained. Always.

Though he couldn't help but feel so terribly alone when he looked at Tenten's back.

* * *

"Hey forehead girl! Don't you dare to lose to this Sand bimbo, you hear me?!"

Sakura grinned, widely and confidently in almost narutoish fashion (though she would fervently deny that if asked) and waved at Ino.

"Worry about yourself, Ino-pig." She shot back "I'm going to win this, no problem."

'I hope.' Thought the pink haired kunoichi worriedly, looking at her opponent.

The blonde Amazon leaned on her huge fan with a frown.

' _Bimbo?_ ' She thought, her eyebrow twitching 'Who's the bimbo here, you preening Leaf slut?'

The pinky was going down for that comment alone.

Temari smirked.

"Well, well, well... Look what the cat dragged in." She drawled lazily "Red dress. Arms like twigs, no weapon to speak of. And... My gods... That hair... is it... _pink_?" Temari raised her eyebrows in mock amazement "What could possess a kunoichi, of all people, to dye hair pink?" She tisked, "And such a bad dye job as well." The kunoichi looked at the steaming pink haired girl with a lazy smirk "Don't you know that pink kind of clashes with whole ninja motif?" She waved her hand carelessly "You know, the whole 'silent assassin' bit, stealth... Ever heard of it?"

Sakura gritted her teeth, eyebrow twitching.

"Hey, examiner..." Temari turned to Hayate, ignoring Sakura entirely "Are you _sure_ she's a ninja? Cause she looks..." Temari turned to Sakura, cocking her head thoughtfully "I don't know... Kind of like a waitress. Or a florist. Though you need some taste and brains to make a good bouquet and she doesn't strike me as having too much of both. What with that awful dye job and all..." The fan wielder trailed off, before putting palm on her lips. "Oh it _isn't_ a dye job! I'm _so_ sorry! I didn't notice, what with that awful color and all." She said in mockingly apologetic tone.

"Shut up and FIGHT!" Sakura snapped, brandishing a kunai in menacing fashion.

Temari looked at the small dagger incredulously.

She looked at her fan.

She looked at the dagger again.

She snickered.

Then she guffawed.

A second later she was nearly bowled over, laughing like a madwoman, only thing preventing her from rolling on the floor being her fan.

Sakura stared at her opponent, her face burning with embarasment and shame.

'That...that BITCH! I'm gonna KILL HER. I'll fucking KILL. HER. _DEAD_.' She thought venomously, gritting her teeth so hard a grinding noise could be heard up in the stands. 'I'll peel her fucking skin off an inch at a time... I'll fucking squeeze her intestines through her nose and hang her with them from the Hokage Tower! I'll boil her alive! I'll... I'll fucking use Kakashi-sensei's Thousand Years of Pain on her!' I'll...'

Inner Sakura just stared. Then silently, reverently, she started taking notes.

For the more timid part of herself, Outer Sakura was... very inventive. And had a really vicious mind.

Through Sakura's inner monologue of death threats, Temari managed to finally recover, though she still let loose an occasional snicker.

She wiped the tear from her eye and looked at Sakura in amusement.

"I really should just whack you with my Dai Tessen and be done with it." She said with a snicker "But since you were nice enough to make me laugh harder than I did in years and I'm feeling generous, I'll make you an offer, hon. Turn to that nice examiner fellow," she pointed at Hayate "say that you forfeit and walk back to the stands under your own power and without broken limbs. What do you say, pinky?"

Sakura snarled, taking a fighting stance, her eyes blazing.

Temari looked at her for a second, before shrugging.

"Oh well. Don't say I didn't try to be nice." She said with amusement, snapping her fan open slightly.

Sakura lunged, kunai first, with a growl.

Temari just rolled her eyes, raising the fan.

'Head first, war cry, kunai in hand... Is she even a ninja?' She thought with disgust 'And she lacks speed to do even that properly... Slow. Clumsy. Even that kunai she holds... Whole palm on the handle, grip tight... What does she thinks she is holding, a spear? What a drag. No matter how you look at it, she just sucks.' Temari sighed, waving her fan half heartedly.

The Kamaitachi ripped through the arena with a hiss of displaced air, striking at the pink haired girl head on and sending her into the nearest wall.

Sakura cried out as her back hit the stone, air forced out of her lungs violently.

She coughed, sliding down slowly like a limp puppet with cut strings.

"Hey, examiner-san. I think the match is over. She doesn't look like she'll be standing anymore." Temari said lazily to Hayate.

"Not...yet..."

Temari halted, before turning slowly to Sakura and raising an eyebrow.

The pink-haired kunoichi rose slowly using the wall as the support, her emerald eyes half lidded and determined

"Well, well, well... It seems you _do_ have some endurance after all. Who would have thought?" Temari muttered curiously "Though you don't look so good. Just stay down, little girl. I'm way out of your league."

"Says... WHO?!" Snarled Sakura, sending a volley of shuriken at the blonde woman.

Temari sighed, lazily dodging the projectiles.

"You're really stubborn, honey." The older woman said rolling her eyes when Sakura charged again "You just don't get it, do you?" She snapped her fan open to the one third of its capability, though it was still overkill for such a weak opponent and blinked as the Kamaitachi hit a chunk of stone.

"Kawarimi, huh?" Temari said closing her eyes "But it won't help you. You are just TOO SLOW!" She snapped, swiping a vicious backhand to her left without so much as looking, sending Sakura crashing into yet another wall.

The blonde shook her head as she watched the dazed kunoichi try to use the wall as support to draw herself up.

"Hopeless." She muttered with disgust. "Girl... Make yourself a favor and just quit. You are so weak it feels like kicking a puppy. Geez."

"Shut UP!" Sakura shrieked, blood from her broken lips splattering the ground "What the HELL do you know?!" She screamed lunging at the Suna kunoichi.

Temari looked at the charge apathetically.

'She's so weak... Gods. Even taunting her isn't fun. How did she survive even a c-class mission?' She snapped her fun shut, hooking it on her back holster. 'I won't need this.'

She side stepped the clumsy charge and gripped the wrist.

Sakura cried out in pain as Temari twisted her wrist viciously, kicking under her thighs and bringing her to her knees.

Sakura's teeth rattled and she shrieked as her knees hit the stone floor hard enough to make them numb, though she felt the bones were more or less intact.

For now.

"What was _that_ supposed to be, sister?" The blonde sneered "Don't they teach Konoha kunoichi proper taijutsu anymore? Charging like some kind of a bull... You're so clumsy it'd be hilarious if it wasn't so sad."

Sakura growled, grabbing another kunai with her left hand only to whimper as Temari's knee struck her shoulder, making her whole arm go numb.

"Gods you're pathetic..." Temari muttered with disgust before she bowed her head, her lips near Sakura's ear. " _Quit_ , you damn fool! Or I'll fucking _break_ you to pieces." She hissed.

"Not...on...your...LIFE...!" The pink haired kunoichi hissed back through her pain. "My... teammates... They... would... NEVER QUIT!" She screeched bringing her head back in a vicious head butt.

Temari staggered back, letting go of Sakura's wrist.

The leaf kunoichi smirked viciously, which looked a little grotesque with her bruised face and broken, bleeding lips.

"Who's pathetic now... _sister_?" She taunted the blonde.

Temari didn't answer; she just touched her nose gingerly.

It wasn't broken, but...

She raised her bloody hand to her eyes and stared at it for a moment.

Slowly, unhurriedly, she wiped the rest of the blood with her hand and looked at Sakura, her eyes darkening visibly.

"Girlie... Since you're so fucking pathetic and you made me laugh, I was trying to be nice and just send you crying with a few bruises. My mistake." The wind mistress said calmly, unhooking her fan. "You just crossed the line. I hope Konoha has good medics, you little bitch." She snapped her fan halfway open and...vanished.

'What...?' Sakura blinked.

"Here."

The pink haired kunoichi's eyes widened as she snapped her head down, to see crouching Temari just in front of her.

"Ninpou: Kamaitachi." She intoned calmly, swinging her fan in the vicious upward arc.

Sakura didn't even have time to scream as the violent current slammed into her, sending her up.

"AND WHERE THE FUCK YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?!" Temari snarled jumping up "COME OVER HERE!"

She snapped her open, using it as a platform as she viciously kicked Sakura even higher.

The girl wasn't even given a courtesy of falling as another kick hit her, followed by an uppercut as Temari twisted in the air once again.

Still falling, she snapped her fan shut and using her momentum slammed the girl with all its weight, sending her crashing down.

"And fucking stay down!" She snarled, landing gracefully and stalking away.

Only to be stopped by a whimper, followed by a weak cough. Followed by the scrapping sound.

'Oh don't tell me...' Temari thought turning slowly, only to see Sakura on her knees, one arm clearly broken in at least two places, but standing up none the less, her teeth gritted.

Temari's eyes narrowed.

"You just don't know when to stay down, do you?" The blonde Suna kunoichi said slowly, walking to her leaf counterpart. "You know... When I first saw you, that ridiculous hair, that stupid, red dress and all, I thought 'How does she even survive missions?'. My first guess was you were strong. Because no weak nin would dress so flamboyantly. No kunoichi would _dare_ to unless she could back it up. Since you didn't exactly look strong and your chakra was nothing to speak about, I thought you a genjutsu specialist, probably."

The suna kunoichi said calmly.

"But then I saw your teammates and I realized that you aren't strong at all. You just lucked out to have two damn powerhouses on your team so you can play the cute little princess and ride on their backs to victory. And that... _pisses me off_!" She snarled, and, grabbing the handful of pink hair, planted her knee in Sakura's gut viciously.

The younger kunoichi's eyes became wide as she coughed blood on the floor.

"Have you ever seriously _fought_ , my little pink princess?" Temari hissed, pulling Sakura up viciously by her hair "Scratch that... Have you even fought at _all_ , you fucking disgrace?! Have you ever dirtied that cute dress of yours with blood of your enemy? Or even your own? Have those fabulously manicured hands ever taken a life? Stained themselves with blood?" She cooed before grabbing the remaining unbroken arm by the elbow, snapping it viciously with an awful sound of cracking and dislocated bone.

"Has that pretty, pretty hair matted itself with grime and sweat as you trained to fucking _survive_?" She twisted her hand pulling at the hair viciously before grabbing Sakura by the throat, hefting her up.

"Of course not. Why _should_ it? After all, you have that Uchiha and his famous sharingan. He'll be there to bail you out. You have that blonde guy and his fucking powerhouse of a sword; he can cleave anything that would endanger our sweet little princess. The only thing you have to do is to look nice, comb that pretty hair, giggle inanely and play at being kunoichi while batting eyelashes at the bishie Uchiha and salivate at the rugged appeal of that blond guy."

Temari stared at the 'kunoichi' in her grip with contempt for a moment before throwing her towards the nearest wall that Sakura hit with a whimper, before sliding down like a broken puppet and crumpling on the floor.

"I guess I'm through... There is nothing more to break. This match is over." She turned to Hayate who nodded.

"Winner, Sabaku no Temari." he said apathetically. "Medic nins to the arena please."

Temari looked at the crumpled, bloodied and broken form before snorting derisively.

"Just die as you are, you fucking disgrace." She muttered with disgust before walking up back to her platform.

* * *

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

"Crimson Edge"

Chapter 4

* * *

"Crossroads"

* * *

Ino stood, rooted to her spot.

She wanted to run, to jump to...

She couldn't.

'...So much blood...'

Sakura's body was like a broken, bleeding doll as the medics carefully raised her prone body to place in on a stretcher. One of the medics, her hand glowing faint green, held her hand near Sakura's abdomen and from the frantic whispers this was not good.

'Not good... not... good?' Ino stared numbly. 'Oh gods... She...'

A bile rose in her throat and Ino was close to vomiting. If not for the harsh experience in the Forest of Death she would have. She thought that after that violent 'exercise' she'd be all calm and collected but... But this was her friend. Her best friend, even if they were at odds.

Odds... Oh gods she didn't know if to laugh or cry. Sasuke's attention seemed so damn hollow now. So damn... insignificant as she stared at Sakura's bleeding body being carried out by the medics.

On some level, she just couldn't... wasn't able to believe this was real. She thought it was like back in the academy, like when they had first aid classes, like when Sakura would whine and scowl at the fact her hairstyle was ruined as she got up and...

'...this... is... real... Isn't it?' She thought numbly. 'Real... I... I...'

Ninja.

She was proud. She was unyielding. She was Yamanaka Ino of the Yamanaka Clan... and she was scared.

'...it...I...'

"Inuzuka Kiba, Yamanaka Ino." Hayate coughed. "Please come down to the arena. Your fight is now."

Ino blinked owlishly.

'...Real... I...' Her eyes traveled to the stain of red that was left from Sakura's broken body.

'...so red...'

"Yamanaka Ino, please come down to the arena."

Ino flinched as she felt Asuma's hand on her shoulder.

"Ino." The jounin looked at her seriously, for once his cigarette absent. "If you don't want to..." He followed her gaze to the stain of red. "I won't blame you. You can go and check on Sakura. There is no shame in that."

Ino opened her mouth, closing it. Then she opened it again.

"...I..."

"Heh, we really lucked out, Akamaru!" Kiba laughed loudly, patting his dog. "We really got a weak one! We just knock her out and it's finals for us, boy!"

The dog barked, obviously happy.

Ino licked her lips.

"I..."

"Hey, Yamanaka!" Kiba called to the stands. "You getting down here, or quitting? Eh?" He grinned savagely. "The same to me, either way. I'm gonna beat you one way or another."

Ino flinched, staring at the pool of red.

'...so... vibrant... It is... so dark but so vibrant...'

Oddly enough, the more she looked at it, the more she saw Sakura's hair. Her pink, blood matted hair...

"Oi!" Kiba scowled. "Decide, goddamit! You're wasting our time! You wanna forfeit, so do it!" He shrugged. "Not that I blame you, really. Getting ass kicking like Sakura and all... That kind of pathetic defeat stings like hell."

Had Ino knew Kiba better, she'd know that the trash talking was Kiba's way. Wild and savage, he talked a lot, psyching himself up. It was his way, a habit and nature. She'd also know that he usually didn't mean half of the things he said.

But the moment she heard Sakura's name... Something snapped.

"...Kiba..." Ino's eyes turned cold. "Kiba...!" She hissed.

"Oi... Ino!" Asuma tried to grab the blonde's shoulder but the Ino shrugged his hand away, jumping down to the arena.

"...That foolish little..." Asuma sighed, shaking his head at his blonde's student display of infamous temperament. Still... He could understand how she felt.

"So, decided to get a beatdown?" Kiba taunted. "Fine with me!" He laughed uproariously. "Don't worry, I won't even bruise you too much!"

Ino's eyes narrowed.

"Shut up and bring it on!" She hissed venomously.

Hayate shook his head. Grudge matches were always the worst.

"Inuzuka Kiba versus Yamanaka Ino... Start."

* * *

"She can't win this."

Asuma gave Kurenai a sideways glance.

"Kiba might be rash but he has incredible offensive potential. He is a typical war shinobi, a front line fighter. Pitting him against Ino is a cruel joke." The crimson eyes darkened. "Asuma... Why?"

"She is a Konoha shinobi. She knows the stakes." The ninja said calmly.

"She can't possibly match him and you know it!" The kunoichi snapped. "Didn't we see enough blood today, Asuma?!"

The bearded jounin turned, looking at Kurenai calmly.

"Now _this_ I didn't expect from you, Kurenai." He said finally.

Kurenai's eyes narrowed.

"Weren't you the one always so adamant about the pride of the kunoichi?" He drawled. "What kind of right do you have to take it away from others? Well?"

The kunoichi flinched under Asuma's cold gaze.

"...It is not like that. It is just... She can't win it Asuma! She will be broken! Like Hinata... like that Haruno girl! Do you really want to witness that? Your own student?!"

"Exactly. She is _my_ student. My _soldier_. Mine." Asuma growled. "She is my student. I will believe in her, regardless of odds. And I don't want to hear a _word_."

Kurenai took a step back, eyes wide.

Asuma was lazy, laid back and one of the friendliest men she had ever known. She had never seen him speak in that cold, clipped tones to anybody. Much less her.

"...Asuma..." She whispered.

"Take care of your own team, Kurenai. And let me take care of mine." He snapped, turning to the arena.

* * *

Kiba stared at the young kunoichi in front of himself, before snorting.  
"I dunno what you want to accomplish but..." The Inuzuka shrugged. "You won't win, Ino. This arena is fit for me. No backstabbing, no tricks... Just guts and claws. This is my kind of fight, Yamanaka." He cracked his neck. "No prissy little kunoichi florist is gonna beat me."

Ino didn't seem to acknowledge him, staring at something, her hands quivering. Kiba blinked, following her gaze.

"...Oh geez..." He muttered, spotting the red stain. "I'm gonna make it quick, Ino." The boy said, lunging forward.

Ino's head snapped up.

Her fingers moved.

Kiba's eyes widened.

"..wh-"

Ino's hiss was the last thing he remembered before things went dark.

"Shintenshin."

* * *

Asuma's eyes widened.

"...well damn..." He muttered. "She baited him... let him close..."

Shikamaru stared.

Shintenshin was supposed to be a support or information gathering skill. The offensive use was... well, almost nil. It was too slow, traveled only in straight line and any shinobi could dodge it.

'...If they saw it coming.' He shook his head slowly. "What a troublesome girl..."

Still, he couldn't stop a small smirk twitching at his lips.

"...what is she doing...?"

Shikamaru blinked, hearing Kurenai's astonished voice and he looked down the arena.

Ino in Kiba's body calmly threw away the boy's kunai and pouches, leaving only one, withdrawing something from it before discarding the last pouch as well.

Shikamaru froze.

"An explosive note." Asuma leaned. "That is... unlike her."

"No." Shikamaru said, gripping the railing as he saw Ino calmly tying the explosive note to Kiba's chest.. "This... this is exactly like her."

Asuma looked at him.

"...that girl... she is... pushy. Loud. Obnoxious. Proud. And she... hates to lose above all." He scowled. "This is... exactly like her. Troublesome."

"That's enough!" Kurenai snapped. "Hayate-san! This is too much!"

"There was no formal declaration of surrender from either of combatants and this isn't a permanent state." Hayate said calmly. "The rules are clear."

"She incapacitated him!" The kunoichi growled.

"Do you wish to withdraw your student from this fight, Yuuhi-san?" Hayate coughed.

"...I..." Kurenai bit her lip.

Kiba was proud. If she called it now... He'd never forgive her or himself.

"Don't worry. Ino won't kill him." Asuma said calmly.

"Yuuhi-san?" Hayate looked at her.

Kurenai clenched her hands.

"...no."

The sickly looking jounin nodded.

* * *

Ino finished tying the note and looked at the confused, whinning Akamaru.

"No touching, doggie." She pointed at the note, before Kiba's body slumped, striking the floor.

A second later, the Inuzuka groaned, rubbing his strangely pained forhead.

"...what the hell...?" He muttered, wincing. "...damn that hurts..." He looked at his chest. "...the fuck is-"

"I wouldn't touch that."

Kiba snapped his head, noticing Ino, already up and holding her fingers in a tora seal.

"...you...!" His yes widened.

"This is, as you noticed, the release seal. I add a little more chakra, you go boom." She looked at him, her eyes flashing. "You touch it... it goes boom. I see even a slightest bit of jutsu or your dog so much as breathing wrong..." Her eyes narrowed. "Well I guess even an idiot like you has some idea."

Kiba gritted his teeth.

He was helpless. There was nothing he could do now and he knew it.

"Well?" Ino snapped. "Anything to say?!" Her fingers twitched and Kiba blanched. "Or do you want to become itty, bitty Inuzuka PIECES?! EH?!"

Kiba lowered his head, hands clenching.

"...I... lost." He ground out finally.

"I can't HEAR you!" Ino screamed. "Louder! So that the examiner can hear you!"

"I LOST!" Kiba snapped.

"Winner... Yamanaka Ino." Hayate coughed.

Ino glared at Kiba, before nodding to Hayate.

The Inuzuka boy clenched his teeth as he watched Ino dispel the seal, deactivating the note with a snort as she passed him.

He glared at the Yamanaka's back hatefully, a growl welling in his throat and Ino stopped, turning to him, her eyes icy.

"Tell me...How does it feel to lose so completely to a 'prissy little kunoichi florist'?" She sneered. "Just _how does it feel_ , mutt?" She swept her blonde hair gracefully, turning away.

* * *

Asuma popped a cigarette to his mouth, lighting it with a quick katon jutsu as he saw Ino walking up from the arena.

"You were saying?"

Kurenai just looked at him for along moment.

"I will attend to my team now." She said, her voice oddly dispassionate as she turned, walking away." Congratulations on your student's victory."

Asuma sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"...Sometimes, I think you are right, Shikamaru."

The genin looked at his sansei oddly.

"Women..." Asuma took along drag from his cigarette." They are so troublesome."

* * *

Sarutobi looked over the gathered genin.

"As I told you before, your final matches will be seen by everybody. You will fight to show the pride and strength of your countries. Hence, in the upcoming matches, I would like you to show all your powers with no restraint." He puffed on his pipe. "Which is why the finals will be held a month from now on."

"We're not going to do it right now?!" Naruto protested, glaring at Neji.

"No. This break will be used for you to heal, rest... and prepare."

Naruto growled, gripping Benihime tightly.

'...that bastard...' He closed his eyes, trying to calm the anger that seemed to spiral in him ever since the prelims bean. Lee... Hinata... And Sakura...

'That fuckin' mutt is SO getting a beatdown when I catch him...' Naruto scowled.

Taunting was one thing, but...

'I'm gonna carve him up like a piece of fuckin' meat!'

He gritted his teeth, only to relax slightly, feeling Benihime's faint, reassuring mutter.

Although her presence was as strong as ever, if not more so, her voice was fainter somehow.

'...come to think of it, I feel... weaker.' The blond frowned. 'That... thing. That red thing... it was after that, I think... weird.'

Though weaker, he also felt... lighter. The chakra was always oddly heavy, for lack of better comparison. Oh it moved, it obeyed his will... somewhat, but this was better. His head was clearer. His senses felt sharper, as if he had been looking at the world through a sheet of milky glass that also muted his senses beyond sight. Now, there was nothing dragging him down. It was as if he had chains that had been cut or weights, like that Lee guy.

He blinked, feeling Benihime's faint laughter.

'...Benihime...'

"Oi! Brat! Quit spacing out!" Anko snapped, shoving a box under his nose. "Here, draw."

Naruto blinked, but did as ordered.

"...one?" He frowned, looking at the number.

"All right, now I will reveal to you the final tournament!" Sarutobi stood straighter. "Ibiki, if you would reveal the match arrangements?"

The scarred jounin calmly presented the sheet he had been working on.

"Those are the arrangements for the matches based upon the numbers you have drawn." He exclaimed. "First match is Uzumaki Naruto versus Hyuuga Neji..."

'YES!' Naruto smirked, drawing his fingers over Benihime's blade as the sword vibrated, her song humming in his mind so loudly it almost tuned out everything else. 'You will cry, cry blood you bastard!'

"Second match is Uchiha Sasuke versus Sabaku no Gaara, third is Kankuro against Aburame Shino, Fourth is Temari versus Nara Shikamaru. Finally, the last match is Yamanaka Ino versus Dosu Kinuta. That is all."

"You have been told your matches. You can start on your preparations as soon as you leave. Are there any questions?" The Hokage looked at the gathered genin.

"Yes, I have one." Shikamaru raised a hand. "Since this looks to be a tournament, it means it will have only one winner. Does that mean only that person will become a chuunin?"

"No. Not at all. With the various judges present, they will be evaluating your abilities as a whole." Sarutobi smiled. "Those who show the neccesary qualities, will become chuunin, even if they lose their very first match."

"Does that mean that we all have a chance to become chuunin?" Temari asked, blinking.

"Yes." Sarutobi nodded. "But... there is also a possibility none of you will earn the rank. Keep that in mind." He looked the small crowd. 'Since there seem to be no more questions, I thank you for your effort in the trails! I will see each of you a month from now, and I wish you all luck!"

* * *

'So... A month.' The blond frowned thoughtfully, before glaring at Neji. 'This guy... He's supposed to be a prodigy and shit, huh? Seems I will need to train.'

'...hospital... Who would have thought...' Naruto thought absently, shaking his head.

Kakashi wasn't there and he had to run around a bit, but after learning where his cyclops of a teacher went, he didn't hold it against him.

"...WHAT?!"

"Haruno-san is still unconscious and Sasuke-sama is not allowed visitors."

"I'm their teammate, goddamit!" Naruto scowled, unknowingly brandishing still uncovered Benihime.

The nurse took a nervous step back, paling.

"I can't! Threatening me won't help!" She said with panic.

"...threatening?" Naruto blinked, before looking at Benihime.

"...Oh. Sorry. I don't have a scabbard for her yet, heheheh..." He laughed sheepisly.

"Then get some bandages or something, geez!" The nurse threw a roll at him. "...brandishing weapons in hospital... I should have you taken by ANBU you damn brat..."

"Hey, hey! I just want to see my teammates!" Naruto protested. "Come on, lady!"

"I can't-"

"Naruto... This is a hospital. Be quiet."

"Oh... Kakashi-sensei!" He jumped up to the man. "Can you take me to see Sakura-chan, she looked so bad an I wanted to see her and see how she's doing and stuff!" He frowned. "Well, the bastard too."

"Sorry, Naruto. Sakura is still unconscious, as is Sasuke. But they are both okay, Sakura's wounds weren't as serious as they looked and Sasuke just needs time. But they aren't allowed visitors for now."

"Oh..." Naruto slumped, before perking up. "Hey, hey... I have a request Kakashi-sen-"

"No need. I already know what you want from me." Kakashi nodded. "Come with me for a minute, Naruto."

Naruto grinned.

* * *

"...what?"

"I can't train you. I won't have the time." The jounin said calmly. "Don't worry though, I found somebody to look after your training instead."

"What...? But..." The blond scowled, opening his mouth.

"And this time it will be actually someone I know of, for a change." Kakashi said calmly.

Naruto blinked.

"Why did you hide it, Naruto?" Kakashi looked at the blond with disapproval. "I'm not merely your teacher. I'm your commander. I need to know the capabilities of my soldiers to command them effectively. What you did was stupid and immature. It breaks the teamwork and my orders."

"...huh?" The blond scratched his head. "What are you talking about, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi leaned back with a sigh.

He was starting to get a little irritated with the brat. Two teammates injured and in recovery, situation thickening far beyond the worst expectations, and he _still_ let his jealousy of Sasuke's skill and popularity drive him into those childish games?

"Don't play dumb with me, Naruto." He said bluntly. "That sword... This isn't some overnight thing. That kind of skill is not something you can learn on the off weekends by beating your Kage Bunshin. I don't know what your teacher told you and, quite frankly, I don't care. You will stop this immideatly."

"...the HELL you talking about?!" The blond exploded. "I don't get the word you are saying!"

Kakashi stared at the genin for a long moment, before sighing.

"No. You obviously don't." He closed his eye briefly.

"Well I sure as HELL don't see what does it have to do with you picking Sasuke over me to train!"

"You saw the person Sasuke will be facing. Gaara is a fearsome opponent, even for a sharingan user. He needs help if he wants to survive, much less win."

"And I DON'T?!" Naruto scowled. "You saw that freaky style that the Hyuuga bastard uses?! I need to get stronger if I want to kick his ass!"

"You are facing a Leaf nin. Your loss will end up just in a few scrapes and some bruised ego. Sasuke's opponent is a killer, an unstable one, at that."

"...my loss...?" Naruto blinked. "I'm not gonna lose, goddamit! I will kick his ass!"

"It is nice to have confidence, but against a prodigy of Neji's class, guts and determination won't be enough." Kakashi said blandly, before frowning. "On that note..." He extended his hand. "That chakra blade... Give it to me."

Naruto blinked owlishly.

"...Kakashi-sensei..." He said slowly. "What are you-"

"You saw Gaara, right? His armor of sand?" Kakashi cut before the blond managed to finish.

Naruto nodded slowly.

"It uses not only physical means, but chakra as well. It is an extremely powerful defense. There is a jutsu I can teach Sasuke... But he will be capable of using it once. Maybe twice. And there is no guarantee. That chakra blade of yours has an incredible cutting capacity. With it and some speed, chances of winning against Gaara rise considerably." Kakashi explained.

"...But.. but she is MINE!" Naruto said, taking a step back, hugging Benihime to him protectively. "And it's not like she wants to go!"

"Naruto, don't be childish." Kakashi chided his subordinate with a frown. "It is not like I will take it from you forever. Sasuke really could use it in his fight."

"Well I need her help against that Hyuuga bastard!" Naruto growled.

"Stop being so obstinate." Kakashi sighed tiredly. This was getting ridiculous. Why was the brat so unreasonable? Couldn't he see the facts at all? "It is not like it will help you much anyway."

Naruto froze, looking at Kakashi in shock.

"...what?"

"You are going against a Hyuuga prodigy with a year of experience under his belt, trained by the foremost taijutsu specialist in Konoha." Kakashi shook his head. "I'm sorry Naruto, but with just a month of training, no matter how intensive, you just can't win this. Even with this sword." He pointed at Benihime. "Sasuke has the control and skill to use it to its full potential. It won't mean anything for your fight in the long run, but for him it might be a difference between life and death. So..." Kakashi extended his hand.

Naruto just stared dumbly as Benihime's angry hiss started to turn into a low growl and the irritation slowly simmered into anger.

'...he...I... He doesn't even... believe that I can win...?' Naruto thought with disbelief. 'Sensei... Sensei... wants to take... And he doesn't believe... Kakashi-sensei...?'

To say it was a shock was putting it mildly.

While he didn't exactly... resent Sasuke's sharingan, he had always envied it. Well, at first he envied the fact that Sasuke was apparently 'special' in that good way. The way that gave him fame, love of the village and admiration of people all around him.

Sharingan and Uchiha. Uchiha and sharingan. Two sides of the same coin. Both admired. Both loved. Both respected.

For him... Benihime was a little bit like that. More, of course. She was an excellent, cool and just plain badass sword. She cut. She ripped apart and gleamed with pride and... and love.

When he heard that voice, when he felt her warm hand touching his cheek, her soft lips on his own and her song humming, humming all the time at the edges of his mind now...

It was like missing piece sliding into place, like something finally.. clicking into place, like home and a voice calling 'welcome home' after along absence and... And all those things at once.

And... Kakashi-sensei... wanted to... take her? Away? Away from him?

'...no.'

He gripped the hilt tighter.

'No.'

He would NOT give her up! She belonged with HIM. Now and always. Now and forever.

A furious voice, between a growl and a hum, resounded in his head.

Benihime was angry. Benihime was furious. And Benihime most certainly did _not_ like Hatake Kakashi.

Nor did he at the moment.

"Kakashi-san." Naruto's head snapped to the side.

"Ebisu." Kakashi nodded simply at the new arrival. "We are just finishing here. He's all yours right after."

The jounin trainer nodded.

Naruto stared incredously, even the rising fury forgotten under the wave of utter disbelief.

'...he wouldn't. No way. He wouldn't. Even he wouldn't be so...'

"What is he doing here?"

"I told you I arranged someone to train you. Ebisu is-"

'...he would. He _did_.'

"Him?" Naruto pointed at Ebisu slowly. "HE is supposed to teach me? That closet pervert?" The blond jabbed his finger at the bespectacled jounin slowly for emphasis.

"...why I never!" Ebisu scowled, pushing up his glasses.

"Oh, so you know each other? Ebisu is an elite trainer and-" Kakashi blinked watching Naruto turn on his heel. "And where are you going?"

"Away from here before I stab someone." The blond growled.

"Not so fast, Naruto." Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he took a step, trying to grab Naruto's arm, only to accientally touch Benihime's hilt as naruto moved. "There still remains a matter of-"

The pulse was so momentary, that had Ebisu not been a good shinobi, he'd never manage to spot it.

It just... responded. With a crackle akin to a raiton jutsu and a... growl?

Ebisu blinked.

Kakashi hissed, jumping back and holding his bleeding hand.

'...what in the world...?!' The copycat looked at his hand with astonishment.

The part where his gloved hand rested on a hilt was... well, scratched and smoking. Or rather clawed. His glove was ripped apart and his skin fared a little better in most places. '..almost like raiton but... What is that? Some kind of a jutsu channeling? I've never seen anything like it...'

"Don't touch her, Hatake." Naruto growled. "Don't you _ever_ touch her!" The cerulean eyes narrowed, showing the faintest traces of red. "She doesn't like that."

"Naruto, as your teacher I command you to-"

"You are _not_ my teacher." The blond snapped, gritting his teeth. "Go and teach your precious Uchiha! That is all you care for anyway, you fucker! Just like everyone else! I will take care of myself. On my own." He spat. "Just like I always do."

The blond jumped off the hospital roof, quickly vanishing from sight.  
Ebisu pushed up his glasses, looking at the space occupied by the blond shinobi seconds prior thoughtfully, before looking at Kakashi.

"Well this could have gone better." He deadpanned.

* * *

It was almost surreal to hear Benihime's angry dirge when his own blood was pumping so loudly in his ears. Every heart beat, every breath...

"...That bastard... I can't BELIEVE HIM!"

The young shinobi spat, Benihime shaking in his hand.

"...Sasuke...Sasuke...SASUKE! It is always about Sasuke! Always about the precious bloodlimit! Always about 'genius!" He hit the tree, uncaring of the pain. "It is always about that goddamn precious fucking BLOODLIMIT! Like that makes both those bastards fucking BETTER because they have it! DAMMIT! I should have...!"

Naruto slumped.

It was always like this. Ever since he could remember. Sasuke this, Sasuke that. Everything for Sasuke. Sasuke the genius. Sasuke the last Uchiha. Sasuke the handsome, Sasuke the admired... Uchiha Sasuke.

He didn't... hate that. Sasuke was a bastard and all but he wasn't so bad. Only... He just wanted a little bit of it. For himself. Just a little bit. Just... for people to notice. To smile when they saw him. Just... just to matter. But it seems he couldn't get even that. Even from he people closest to him.

'...Being acknowledged... My own opponent... did. A person I don't know at all and my own teacher... he just... just dismisses me?'

He was just so damn happy in Team 7. Sure, Sasuke was a brooding bastard, Sakura didn't give him the time of the day but... But he mattered. He was part of the Team 7. He had friends. A teacher.

"...Teacher..." Naruto snorted. "Yeah. Some teacher he is... Can't win... Can't win... huh?" He looked at Benihime's gleaming edge. "'Cause I'm just a loser? Because he is a genius, prodigy and I am the 'loudmouth idiot'?"

The blond sat down heavily, closing his eyes.

'...damn... I should have seen it...' He closed his eyes tiredly. "Sharingan... Sharingan Kakashi and Uchiha in the team... huh? We... Sakura-chan and I... we are just... dead weight. Expandable. Dammit... He... That apathetic bastard... He simply doesn't care... He never did... what an idiot... I was...' Naruto sighed. 'And in the end I'm all alone, huh? On my own like always...'

Benihime vibrated in his hand, almost angrily and Naruto smiled, caressing the blade.

"...Sorry..." The blond said pressing his forehead tot he hilt. "Sorry... I'm just... So _tired_..." He muttered, closing his eyes.

* * *

The wind blew through his hair, carrying the familiar rosy fragrance and Naruto blinked, opening his eyes.

"...Oh."

The roses were haphazardly put and tightly packed like before, though the color seemed a little.. washed out. The trees as well, the blond noticed.

'...is it me or is it darker here...?'

He frowned, looking at the sky.

"Now that's odd." Naruto said looking at the slowly darkening clouds and blinked, feeling a droplet of water on his cheek.

"...rain?" His eyes widened. 'Oh no WAY I am going to sit in that!"

Naruto jumped up, running for the castle.

* * *

The jinchuuriki didn't need to look. It seemed he knew the way by heart and didn't even need to think about it to reach the familiar chamber.

He took a look around, noticing the familiar carpet and curtains, as well as decorations and the odd bed, but... Where was the-

He relaxed as he felt a hand on his cheek.

"Hello, my beloved."

"Benihime..." Naruto leaned into the embrace with a sigh, her long hair pooling around him, her scent intoxicating.

"I'm so sorry..." She held him closer, melding herself to him, just allowing him to bask in her warmth.

"Don't be. It ain't your fault."

"Still, I am sorry it has come to this." Her grip tightened, venom entering her voice. "That scum... If his filthy hand dares to touch me again I shall _flay_ it!"

Naruto laughed weakly.

"...You do that." He muttered. "It'd be fun to see."

"Of course it would." She frowned. "Though I'd prefer not to touch him if I can help it."

"Don't worry. He won't take you away." The blond growled, gripping Benihime's kimono and hair tightly. "Nobody will. EVER."

"So possessive..." The beauty murmured, a smile quirking her crimson lips. "But you have no need to worry, my beloved. We shall remain together forever. No one will take me away... And no one will take you away from me. I promise."

"Good." Naruto let his senses drink her presence, drawing strength from it.

Benihime hummed a wordless song, stroking Naruto's hair gently as the rain outside of the castle kept on pouring down.

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes slowly, only to blink.

"...huh?" He looked at the sky. "Man but it's late."

It was at least late afternoon. Around six, if he wasn't mistaken. He'd been sleeping good several hours it seemed.

"...Maaan..." he stretched. "I feel GOOD!" he looked down at Benihime's form, looking almost smug, if a sword was capable of that. But then, this was Benihime. Who knew what she was capable of? "Thanks, Benihime. You're too cool for words."

He grabbed the roll of bandage he kept from the hospital incident, carefully tying it around the edge.

"I don't have a sheath for you yet... Just wait a little." He murmured, patting the hilt. He was tying the cloth over the edge, until a movement caught his attention and made him stop and look up.

'...Is that...?' Naruto's eyes widened, before a low growl erupted form his throat.

"Seems the covering will have to wait for a while." He gritted out, standing up and cracking his neck as he stalked forward, Benihime gleaming in the afternoon sun omniously.

* * *

Kiba snarled, his clawed hand ripping a tree to shreds as he stopped the Gatsuuga.

"...That... that BITCH!"

He stabbed his kunai in the wood viciously, growling like an animal as the rage and humiliation burned.

Losing was one thing, but... losing to INO? Losing to that prissy, vain, shallow, shrilly little...!

"GAAH! I WILL KILL THAT BITCH!"

The loss alone wouldn't be so tragic (thoguh it was still damn bad) but the bitch had to, just HAD to humiliate him! In PUBLIC! With Hokage-sama, with his teacher and a shitload of genin from all around the world in the stands!

Now EVERYBODY knew he was fucking swatted like some unruly puppy by a frail little bitch!

"Kiba."

The Inuzuka snarled, turning to the source of the voice.

'Oh not him. Not now.' He scowled. I'm pissed as it is.'

He really wasn't in a mood for listening that idiot prattle endlessly in that shrilly voice.

It reminded him too much of that fucking bitch that was otherwise known as Ino.

"Get LOST dead-last! I am n-" Kiba only dimly felt his back hitting the tree. His jaw hurt too much. "...what the...fuck...?" his eyes widened as he wiped his broken lip. "...you loking for a FIGHT, you moron? Y-"

" _Okiro, Benihime_."

Until the chuunin exams, Kiba wasn't even considering being scared of Naruto. The guy had guts, he would admit that, but nothing beside that, save maybe his stamina. He was stupid, rash (and in Kiba's case that was saying something) had no damn skill to speak of and was just plain too moronic to be afraid of. He was also too much of a'good guy' to be really scary.

During chuunin exams, Kiba had to revise his opinion a little. Not that he'd admit it out loud, but seeing Naruto fight with that Tenten chick... Well, stubborn Kiba might be, but he also could appreciate a good scrap. And that one was good. Anybody who could use a sword to fucking cut stone wasn't 'harmless'. Not to mention, the moment Naruto faced Neji after Hinata's defeat was... well, creepy. If he didn't know any better, he'd have sworn it couldn't be Naruto. Naruto wasn't that cold and didn't radiate that kind of focused killer intent. But he obviously did. And could. And was doing it now.

A pulse of power rose form a sword like a faint crackle of lightning and Kiba would swear later on that the blade flashed with opaque red for a second.

"You shouldn't have said that about Sakura-chan." Naruto growled. "She gave it her all. She fought to he fucking END. She had shown more courage than lousy' mutt like you can ever know. So don't you fucking DARE to put her down."

"...you stupid idiot!" Kiba exploded. "So it is about that? I said nothing but the TRUTH, you moron! She got fucking owned by that Sand chick, and that's the damn fact! If she wasn't stupid and trained a l-" Kiba barely avoided a swing that ended carving the tree in half.

The Inuzuka's eyes widened.

'...is he fucking INSANE?! If he hit me with that...!'

"At least she had the guts to fight against the odds, not like you." The blond snapped.

"So you want a fight, eh? But then you were always infatuated with her." Kiba growled, taking a stance. he had a lot of frustration to work out and Naruto was a perfect target. "OKAY with me! Bring it on, loser!" he snarled, lunging forward.

Naruto raised Benihime, eyes furious.

* * *

Kiba coughed, blood splattering on the ground from his smashed lips.

'...oh fuck... Damn but that thing is sharp...!' He winced, holding his cut up arm. The cut was shallow, Naruto obviously wasn't going for the kill or even a serious injury but... 'What kind of sword cuts THROUGH a kunai?!'

Naruto panted, a few bruises on his body, though overall he was in much better shape than Kiba.

"That was for Sakura-chan, you bastard." he spat. "Next time you say something like that about her, I will turn you into Inuzuka sashimi and feed you to your dog, get it?"

"...yeah, yeah... You fucking maniac." Kiba muttered, leaning on the tree. "You're lucky Akamaru's on the check up, you bastard..."

"You want more?" The blond growled, waving Benihime threateningly.

"Fuck you and fuck that sword of yours too." He snorted.

"You're not her type, mutt." Naruto wiped the blood form his split lip, turning away.

"...huh?" Kiba blinked with confusion. "What the... Ah fuck..." Kiba hissed as the wounds pulsed with pain again. "Seems it's hospital for me after all... Dammit."

* * *

Naruto smiled, pulling the bandage covering Benihime tighter with satisfaction.

Beating Kiba was... therapeutic. It allowed him to let loose some of the anger that had been boiling in him. Not all that much, but some.

'Okay... a mutt down, a prodigy to go.' He frowned, thinking of Neji. 'He's supposed to be all kinds of hot shit... I need to use that month well. Damn. I really could use some-"

"Hey."

Naruto blinked, looking to the side.

Leaning on the tree, there was a man in a traditional jounin vest, a sword hilt over his left arm.

Naruto squinted. This guy looked familiar. He had seen those dark rings and...

The man coughed and Naruto perked up.

"Hey, I know you! You're that examiner guy!"

Hayate looked at Naruto oddly.

'Didn't he just see me this morning?' He wondered briefly. 'Ah, whatever.'

"Former examiner. I was just a referee for the prelims." Hayate coughed again.

"Oh." Naruto nodded. "Why are you here?" He asked curiosuly.

"I've been looking for you actually." The sickly looking jounin said.

Naruto frowned, before looking at Hayate suspiciously, holding Benihime protectively.

"I'm not giving you Benihime!"

The jounin blinked.

"...what?"

"I didn't give her to that Kakashi bastard, I'm not giving it to you either!"

"Geez, kid... cough calm down. I'm not here for your sword!" Hayate frowned. "Who do you take me for?"

"You aren't?" Naruto blinked.

"No I'm not." The older man rolled his eyes. "I'm not here to take it... but I'm here because of it, you might say." He said finally.

"Because of it...?" Naruto looked at him with confusion. "What do you mean? And I'm still not giving you Benihime." he said warningly.

"Do I look like some scum that steals weapons from people?" The jounin snapped with irritation.

Naruto shrugged.

Hayate sighed.

"Look... You've got a good sword, but you will be facing a Hyuuga. Alone, that won't be enough, even with a chakra blade. Not unless you will learn to use it properly."

Naruto scowled, opening his mouth.

"So, how would you like to learn?" Hayate coughed.

The blond stared at the jounin, eyes wide.

"...what?"

"You heard me." The sickly man coughed again. "You've got some talent, but your footwork sucks, you waste over a half of a power due to it, your speed is just so-so and you lack so much precision it is just sad to watch. I can help you with that."

Naruto blinked owlishly.

Somebody was actually... offering to train him? Somebody he didn't even know?

It was almost too good to be true and...

...and it probably was.

"What do you get out of it?" He asked warily.

"Beyond the fact that your sloppy attempts at swordsmanship will stop making me cringe?" Hayate raised an eyebrow with a cough. "I will get to see a humbled Hyuuga. By a weapon user, no less."

Naruto looked at him with confusion.

"You saw the Jyuuken, right?"

Naruto nodded.

"Hyuuga call themselves cough 'the strongest in the Leaf'. They disdain weapon users in particular, believing their taijutsu is be-all, end-all of shinobi arts. Now what happens if their prodigy gets beaten by a sword user?"

"So... you wanna train me to make them... look bad?" Naruto asked slowly.

"Something like that." Hayate nodded, another cough interrutping his words for a moment. "So?"

Naruto looked at the man for a long moment, before smiling.

"Hey, examiner-guy... what's your name?"

"Hayate. Gekko Hayate."

"Okay, Hayate-sensei! Teach me, and I promise I will cut that Hyuuga bastard into little ribbons with Benihime's help!" Naruto said. "They won't be looking down at swords anymore, I can guarantee that." He grinned.

Hayate smiled faintly.

'Enthusiasm, some talent, a grudge and a powerful chakra blade. This could be interesting.'

* * *

TBC...


	5. Chapter 5

Crimson Edge

Chapter 5

* * *

"Eclipse."

* * *

"You have stamina."

Naruto heaved, Benihime in his sweaty hand.

"But you waste it."

A cough.

A single one.

Naruto had no idea how he did it, but when he moved - there was none. No hitch, no cough, no heavy breathing. Hayate just... moved. No grace, no deliberate, lazy artistry like Sasuke. He just did things. Move to the left. Move to the right. Cut up, cut down, to the side...

All with the same, sunken-eyed stare.

It was just so. DAMN. Annoying.

Cough.

"You run around a lot, but you cut wrong." Hayate stood calmly, sword out.

Naruto growled, arcing forward, only for the sickly-looking swordsman to step out of the way.

Only idiot blocks with a katana, he said. Idiot, or a person with a chakra blade. Though Hayate still didn't like blocking much. All the dust in Naruto's mouth attended to this.

"See?" Hayate coughed again. "Don't use your HAND. Use your body. It is not your hand that fight - your whole body does."

Naruto wiped the sweat off his brow. Hayate had been running him ragged. Run. Cut. Attack. Defend. Run some more.

Limit and ability, he said. Need to know, he said.

"...the HELL you mean?" The blond scowled.

Hayate sighed.

"Your whole body goes INTO the cut." He explained. "Not enough to be completely vulnerable, but you need your mass, you need a strength of the whole body. Mass, torso, shoulder... everything. Weapon can't move alone. Like in taijutsu. You don't punch with the fist. You punch with your whole body."

Naruto blinked.

Hayate blinked back.

"You do know that, right?" He asked after a long moment.

Naruto chuckled nervously.

The swordsman sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You... are the single most..." The ninja trailed off, before Naruto learned what he was 'the single most', "Okay, let's do it this way, then." He muttered with a cough, pulling off two strips of paper and a brush, quickly scribbling something on them, before giving them to Naruto.

"Tie them around your wrists cough would you?"

"What for?" Muttered the blond curiously.

"You'll see." Hayate coughed, sheathing the sword.

Naruto did as asked.

"You can lay down your sword. It won't be necessary for this."

"She."

Hayate blinked.

"She. Benihime's a she." The genin corrected.

"...Okay." Hayate nodded. "Now, put her down. And come at me."

Naruto cocked his head to the side with confusion.

"...huh?"

"Weapons, ninjutsu, taijutsu... Whatever you can use." Hayate motioned at him with a cough. "Come on."

"Aren't you teaching me how to fight with a sword?" The blond scratched his head.

"I am teaching you how to win." Hayate said flatly. "Just do it."

Naruto shrugged, before charging, Kage Bunshin erupting around him.

It was over quickly, of course. Hayate had to give it to the kid - the sheer stamina he had was enormous. He had the kid running around and attacking him the whole morning, and the brat just kept on going. Oh he was tired, all right. But he knew seasoned chuunin who'd be laying in a sweaty, heaving heap right now. After all, it was the brat that did all the running.

Though stamina he might have - anything approaching economy he lacked in entirety. Hell, he doubted the brat even knew what it was.

The sheer amount of unnecessary moves he made in a simplest attack was just staggering. At first he thought that - with the sword - it was because he was just inexperienced. And he was. Half of it was instinct, the other hand was bizarre... something that Hayate couldn't exactly name. It was halfway in between of badly ingrained habit, or... or as if he watched but never had a proper teacher to correct his flaws. Some of the things he tried pulling off were evidently something a person with more reach, mass and height would do - not a teenaged midget lacking all of it.

'Hmm... the last one might very well be the case. Hatake never got any formal sword training beyond the ANBU-issue, and he'd never been all that good with it. Doubt he'd teach him - there is no trace of that in it. More like... some classic swordsmanship but... damn, mangled beyond belief. Though some things...' He shook his head. He'd never even seen some of the things the brat pulled. They were shaky and missed the point entirely, but with some practice, he could see them working. Also, the brat was even a bigger enigma. When he started pushing, he expected him to fall apart under stress. Instead, the less time to think he gave him, the better Naruto got. When he had gone slow, he could scarcely believe it was the same kid who went fairly evenly with the budding weapon master. When he _pressed_ him... 'Instincts, damnit! The kid got them in spades. And some good memory, if what I suspect is true.'

Now, what was the bigger enigma... was this.

Hayate surveyed the heaving, somewhat bruised figure in front of him.

With the loss of the sword, he expected the boy to tighten up his defense, move to the proper pattern of the attack. It would be a good lesson. It would show him what he was doing with his body - and then simply get him to do with his sword.

Only there was a big - huge even - problem.

"Kid... Do you even know what 'taijutsu' means?" Hayate deadpanned.

Naruto glared at him.

"I mean... good grief." Hayate coughed, sitting by the blond. "You swing around, use mostly hooks, your kicks try to be elaborate but fail the point entirely, you have no cough precision whatsoever and I don't think you ever heard of proper atemi in your life."

"Hey!" The blond snapped." I had good grades in the academy in that, you know!"

"For field exercise, I don't doubt it for a second." Hayate sighed. "You have incredible amount of stamina, and you can soak up punishment like no twelve year old I have ever seen."

"...thirteen."

Hayate blinked.

"I'm thirteen." Naruto muttered.

"...Really?" The sickly ninja coughed with bewilderment.

"I failed the exam three times." Naruto winced.

"Ah. Right." The man nodded. "No wonder."

Naruto threw him acidic glare.

"I am not trying to put you down." Hayate sighed heavily. He found out that pride was a soft spot early on. It wasn't that he boy had too much of it (though he did a little). He was just damn defensive. Even a slightest bit of criticism put him on the defensive. At first he couldn't quite understand it, but it became quite apparent quickly. After all, it would be naive to think a jinchuuriki of Kyuubi would have an easy life. He had heard more than enough derogative comments about him as the kid grew up - how bad was it for the brat himself?

"I am your teacher for now. I need to know what you can and what you can't do." He explained patiently.

It took all of half an hour to understand that, while not exactly book-smart, Naruto wasn't stupid. And while the kid did learn better by an example, forcing him to do anything was like herding a gaggle of cats. Hyperactive, orange, kyuubi-powered cats. Give him an incentive, though - and the brat was off like an explosive tag. Just as aimlessly, too.

"Give me the paper, Naruto." He extended his hand, grabbing the twin ribbons and looking at them.

'...wait. This can't be right.' The swordsman frowned, gazing at the seals he left there carefully. '...the hell?'

It was a very simple seal, one derived from ANBU mapping seals - to detect any chakra used on a person. Or by a person. With chakra paper, it could be made more precise, more flexible. With two or three conflicting seals on it, it would be ideal to show the rough distribution of the boy's chakra. Meaning his control, basically.

He looked at the readouts for a long moment, disbelieving.

"Okay, change of plans, brat. Come on. There is a place we need to go." He grabbed his sword and motioned for Naruto to follow.

* * *

Naruto looked at the large training ground with a small, but functional waterfall.

"Water?"

Hayate nodded with a cough.

"You know the tree walking exercise, right?"

Naruto nodded.

"Okay - there is a similar principle to use to walk on water. Only less pushing, more... fluidity." Hayate explained. "It requires more control, since you need to adjust the flow of chakra with exact steps, not just stick. Just so you know. But the basics are the same." He coughed again, motioning at the water. "Try it."

"Hey, I mastered the tree walking exercise - this will be a piece of cake!" Naruto boasted, walking confidently to the small waterfall and river.

One step later, there was a wobble, followed by a loud splash.

"A piece of a rather... soggy cake." Hayate smirked. "Remember. Even, calm, flow."

"...yeah, yeah... stupid water." Naruto muttered petulantly, walking to the shore, dripping the water all over.

At least he cooled off some, always a plus.

"Okay, here goe-"

Hayate took a step back, avoiding the water.

"...DAMMIT!"

"Even flow." The swordsman said mildly, sitting on a nearby fallen tree. "Even flow, Naruto."

"The HELL I need it for anyway!" The blond glared.

"For control, balance, proper chakra distribution and a whole slew of other things." Hayate coughed, pointing at the river. "Walk."

The blond grumbled, taking an angry step.

Hayate sighed, taking out a sharpener and one of his kunai.

He had a feeling it was going to be along day.

* * *

"Balance."

Naruto grimaced, swerving a little, but in the end standing firm.

"Good." Hayate nodded slowly. "Your chakra is an asset. You have a lot of it. That means you can train a lot."

Naruto blinked, cursing under his breath as his concentration wavered for a second, feet stumbling a tad.

"What do you...oof... mean?"

"With a lot of chakra, you train longer. More diligently. cough." The swordsman walked to the blond, not even breaking a step as he walked on water. "Continuous training can be very good, if one has stamina."

"Because you can train more, right?" The blond spread his legs a little, bending his knees, cursing again as the flow changed, his changing with it.

"Partially." Hayate looked at the unstable figure carefully. Gauging, surveying, cataloguing. He had never had the stamina, nor strength of other nin. But he was observant. He trained himself to be. Trained until he felt his eyes would bleed and senses scream. Watch. Plan. Cut. He had chosen a sword for a reason, after all. "Continuous training means you can cough see mistakes as they happen. See what works, without feeling the chakra exhaustion. Stomp out the flaws without gaining bad habits that would settle over a period of interrupted training."

Naruto blinked.

"Oh."

Hayate smiled faintly.

"Don't worry. You will see what I mean." He coughed, drawing his sword. "Understand, I don't have time to teach you proper kenjutsu. Not in a month."

"...ehh?!" Naruto grimaced. "But you said-"

"I told you I would teach you how to win." Hayate cut calmly. "Which is exactly what I will do."

Naruto cocked his head.

"...I don't get it."

"There are two ways of fighting, or rather, of learning to fight." The sickly man coughed, his sunken eyes not leaving Naruto. "The first is to train. Ingrain the patterns. Analyze, commit to memory, polish out flaws by practice and understanding of your own movement. cough This some call a proper way. A shinobi way." Hayate took a step, and Naruto's eyes widened as the dull side of the blade hit his hitai-ate. "There is, however, a second way."

"...but, if you don't train... what do you do?" Naruto asked with confusion, only to yelp as the blade cut down, splitting the water in a lazy arc.

"Simple." Hayate smirked. "You fight." His chakra blade spun, a fancy maneuver of no use in real combat, but enough for a confused genin. He watched Naruto's eyes trail the edge warily with satisfaction.

"What do you mean?"

"Fight. Patterns are good, even necessary. They might save your life. They do, really. But cough experience is just as good, in some respects."

"...I don't get it." The blonde frowned. "Iruka-sensei always said that we must know what to do before we do it."

"And that's good. And that's what an academy teacher would say. I will even teach you some of that," Hayate nodded, "But I don't have time to cram all that knowledge. No, it would take months for any proficiency. Years, for any reasonable fluidity." He let the katana's top touch the water. "If you want to beat a Hyuuga prodigy, you don't have that time. So, we are going to do like proper ninja."

Naruto's eyes widened, hands unbidden reached for Benihime, the swords reverberating as they met.

Hayate smirked.

"We will cheat."

"...the HELL?!" Naruto growled, trying to push the man back, only to get an elbow to the face for his trouble.

"Not wise. I am stronger." Hayate said calmly, arcing his sword lazily, only to be blocked. He lashed out with a kick. "Better. Watch out for the whole opponent, not just for a weapon. The warrior IS a weapon."

The blond growled, stabbing forward, only to meet air, and a painful jab to the back of his head.

Hayate waited for the soggy genin to swim up.

"You're wide open, kid." He said with a cough. "Stand up. Raise your sword."

"...The HELL are you doing, Hayate-sensei?!" Naruto spat some water, climbing on the surface of the river, a distinctively odd experience.

Hayate smile faintly, noticing the distinctive decrease in the wobble.

"Teaching you." He said calmly. "I told you - no time for going by the book. But I am not teaching you swordsmanship. I'm teaching you fighting."

Naruto jumped back, as Hayate's weapon stabbed forward lazily.

"Good. See?" The man nodded, coughing. "That's the way. Move. Run. Attack. Defend. All at once, until you drop. Learn to fight. Learn to hold her to the point there is no distinction cough between your body and her." He motioned at Benihime.

Naruto stared for a long moment, blinking owlishly, before a slow grin made to his face.

"All out?" He asked.

Hayate just looked at him flatly.

"I told you I need to know what you have, kid."

Naruto's grin turned savage.

"Okiro, Benihime!"

The faint pulse erupted and for a briefest of moments, the edge was tinted in faint red.

Naruto looked at Hayate, bright blue eyes gleeful as he heard that faint, but oh-so-sweet song and laughter echoing in his mind.

"You're ON, Hayate-sensei!" He said with glee.

Hayate made a lazy come hither gesture.

"Come on, then."

Naruto charged.

* * *

Naruto blinked as the red lifted from his eyes.

He didn't feel pain, he didn't feel the welts he had from Hayate's blunt edge. He didn't hear the burn, like there on that river as his body pumped that oddly burning chakra to avoid falling in cold water.

He only felt a warm hand, toying with his hair gently.

"Hello." Benihime smiled at him, her burgundy kimono loose, sliding more than enough to show off her shoulders and cleavage.

"Hi." The blond frowned. "...Ugh. Fainted, didn't I?"

"A little." The woman laughed. "But you pushed yourself for hours. It is only to be expected, no?"

"...man, Hayate-sensei looks sick but..." Naruto rubbed his head, still feeling the painful jab he got there with the pommel of the older nin's katana. "And he tells ME I have stamina?!"

"To be perfectly honest, my beloved - you did the running." The spirit smiled, ruffling his hair. "Though I guess his strength is impressive."

"Damn, you think with that cough and all he'd fall over any moment." The boy grumbled.

"Now, now, my beloved. Don't complain." She hugged him, laughter in her voice. "Was it not glorious? Sparks flying, edges cutting...? Was it not like then, during that exam?"

Naruto chuckled, leaning into her embrace.

"...Yeah. Yeah, it was."

"This... my beloved, is what I told you about." She whispered. "This is what I meant."

"I think... I think I'm starting to get it now."

She laughed, a lilting, melodious tone that resounded into the chamber in an almost unreal fashion.

"Of course you do!" She leaned conspiratorially, her warm breath over his ear. "How could you not, my beloved?"

There was an odd note in her voice. Almost like... pride, Naruto noticed.

"You really liked it, didn't you?" He grinned.

"Always." she breathed, a slight shiver running through her body. "I am who I am, after all."

"...You know... It would be nice to know who you are." Naruto frowned thoughtfully.

"I am here. I am with you. Is it not enough?" She smiled, her tresses spilling over him as she leaned forward. "You know my name, is it not enough? I will sing for you, my beloved. A song of love, a song of glorious crimson." She drew him, hugging him tightly, her kimono and raven hair spilling all over him, covering him. Naruto closed his eyes as her scent made him drowsy, though in a pleasant way.

"Sleep, my beloved." She whispered. "Sleep and rest. Much is before us."

Naruto drifted off to sleep, Benihime's wordless, gentle song echoing in his ears.

* * *

He opened his eyes drowsily, looking up.

"...Huh..." He murmured looking at the unfamiliar ceiling. "...where...?"

"So. Awake?"

There was a faint cough accompanying the now-familiar voice and Naruto looked to the left, noticing a small table, Hayate's form sitting by it and eating a sandwich.

"...Hayate-sensei?" He asked with confusion. "Where am I...?" He muttered, looking at the small, but comfortable sofa he was on.

"You collapsed in the evening." The man shrugged. "And I didn't exactly know where you live. So I brought you home." He coughed. "Breakfast?"

Naruto blinked, looking at the generous spread of sandwiches, some milk, what looked to be a large bowl full of apples and other fruits.

"I-" His stomach growled and Hayate smirked.

"Eat." He pointed. "We have a long day ahead." he said with a cough. "Keep your strength up. You'll need it."

"Oh." Naruto nodded, hesitantly getting up and walking up to the table. It was... odd. Save for Iruka (and Kakashi once - but better not to think of it now) nobody ever... well, fed him. Much less did it with such matter-of-fact nonchalance.

"Are you going to stand there whole morning?" Hayate raised an eyebrow.

"Oh. Sorry." The blond rubbed his neck sheepishly, sitting by the table.

"Eat. A lot." The older man advised him, standing up. "I need to go out for a while. Finish your breakfast by the time I return." he frowned, coughing. "Just don't break the bowls. My girlfriend would give me hell." He pointed at the clay... thing.

Naruto blinked.

'...That's a bowl?' He thought with disbelief. 'This looks like.. hell, I have no idea WHAT it looks like. But not a bowl.'

Though he had to admit it, it DID look a little bit cool. A lot of colors, and a lot of orange. That was always a plus in his book. Nothing with so much orange could be bad.

Some of it must have shown on his face, because Hayate smiled weakly.

"She makes them as a hobby. I'd rather not have her... upset."

Naruto's eyes widened, and he nodded. He could understand that very well. He learned pretty early on, that upsetting girl's make up, figure, taste or almost ANYTHING ended... painfully. Sakura hit him damn hard for that odd thing that was supposed to be ikebana in the academy. He felt it for days.

"Okay. No breaking the bowls, Hayate-sensei. Roger." Naruto said with a shudder.

Hayate chuckled weakly, before walking out.

Naruto blinked, as the doors closed by the older man.

"...Huh." He muttered, before his stomach growled again. "All right, all right already."

Ravenous, he dug into the spread food.

* * *

"You. Are not Hayate."

Naruto tried not to nod to that. Really. Because that business end of the kodachi under his chin looked to be really, really sharp.

The violet-tressed woman, her face almost emotionless, looked at him.

It was an odd feeling. At first he thought her eyes were... cold. Like the villagers. But there was no dislike. No hate, no anger, no disdain.

The twin pools of dark violet, so dark they were black unless a stray ray of light hit them, just... were.

"Uzumaki Naruto." She frowned lightly, her voice as impassive as it was ever since she just appeared in front of the table. "Explain yourself."

"...Uh, well, I was training with Hayate-sensei and-"

"Hayate has no genin team, Uzumaki." The blade didn't waver, but Naruto was sure it dug in a little deeper. "Your teacher is Hatake Kakashi. Explain yourself."

"...Wait, wait!" Naruto said, trying not to fidget. "Really, I trained with Hayate-sensei, for the chuunin exam!"

"Why?" The voice was the same, continuous deadpan.

"Because I didn't have a teacher!"

"Hatake Kakashi is your instructor."

"But he doesn't TEACH me anything, the bastard!" Naruto scowled.

The violet-tressed woman seemed to ponder it for a moment. Seemed to, because her expression didn't change for a second and her eyes were as unsettlingly clear as they were the moment she saw him.

"Hayate doesn't teach." She said finally.

"Well he offered." Naruto tried to shrug, but a light stab, not-quite-drawing-blood-but-close warned him against any moves. "I dunno why."

"Provided you speak the truth, why are you here, then?" She asked calmly.

"I... uh, well, lost consciousness during training." Naruto admitted sheepishly. "Hayate-sensei brought me here."

"You eat his food." She asked. "Why?"

"Because I am hungry and he offered me some?" Naruto hazarded.

The woman blinked once, seemingly pondering it, before nodding almost unnoticeably.

"Acceptable for now." She said calmly and her sword left his throat.

"I am Uzuki Yuugao." She sat by the table, halting for a second.

One violet eyebrow went up.

Naruto fidgeted.

Damn, but for a calm person - that was one _intense_ lady!

"The bowl." She said tonelessly, indicating the orange thing before Naruto that held his cereal. "You are using it."

"Uh... Yeah." Naruto blinked, confused at the sudden change of topic.

"Why?"

"Hey, hey... I won't break it!"

"No. Why." Yuugao frowned. "There are other bowls."

"Well, they are smaller." Naruto shrugged, before grinning. "And hey, this one is cool!"

Yuugao's eyebrows shot up.

"Cool." She said tonelessly.

"Yep." Naruto nodded vigorously, happy to be on what he thought was safer ground.

"Cool. Why?" She looked at him, her eyes boring into his.

"Well...I mean... Bowls are bowls, right?" Naruto said, unsure. "They are all... round, and stuff. Only the color changes. But this one is cool. It is orange!"

"So you like it because it is orange." Yuugao concluded somberly.

"No, no! See, orange is cool - but it isn't just that. I mean.. when you look at it, it isn't boring at all. You look at it right, you see a cat." Naruto turned the bowl carefully - no WAY was he going to allow any harm come to it - motioning at the side. "If you turn it a little more, then it is a cloud. If you push it even a BIT... it kinda looks like a kunai, that grove here. See?"

Yuugao stared at the bowl for a long moment.

"I see." She said finally, her face unreadable.

Naruto nodded with satisfaction, going back to his cereal, only to blink as another bowl was set in front of him.

"This one." Yuugao pointed.

"...Huh?" Naruto blinked.

"What do you see?"

Naruto frowned, cocking his head.

"Well... Hmm... Now that I look at it..." He peered. "Oh, hey. It looks like a bird. Sorta cool, even." He said, squinting curiously.

"Bird." Yuugao said thoughtfully. "Hmm."

"Well yeah, see. Here.. and here - you've got wings. and the tail. And beak. Man it looks SHARP!"

The woman blinked, peering at the bowl curiously.

"...Indeed." She muttered. "...this here looks like a dog, though."

"Yep. Or a wolf." Naruto and Yuugao leaned over the bowl. "And that's... kinda..."

* * *

"..like snowflake."

"No. More like a star."

"Oi, oi... You're missing it completely. Here. Look. See?"

Hayate blinked owlishly.

"Hmm." Yuugao frowned, tracing something on the 'bowl'. "Manageable. But I still say it looks like a star."

"From _this_ angle, maybe." Naruto was clearly unconvinced. "I still say snowflake's better."

Hayate cocked his head to the side, looking at the calm, if definitely discussing (he wouldn't say arguing - arguing Yuugao was a cold, _cold_ Yuugao) and the lively, golden haired, orange-clad... student (as odd as it sounded) he took on himself.

He didn't expect her to be here, not this early anyway.

And he didn't expect the duo to get along. Yet, they did. Against all odds, they talked.

Over bowls.

Talked. Discussed. Hell, _bonded_!

The deadpan ANBU woman, and the hyperactive outcast.

'The world is truly a strange place.'

"Hayate." She turned to look at him.

"Good morning." He turned to Naruto. "Ready?"

"Yeah." The blond grinned. "Thanks for breakfast, Hayate-sensei!"

"You won't be thanking me cough later on." Hayate deadpanned. Or as close as he could, with his cough going. "Come on, we have work to do."

Yuugao observed them for a moment, head cocked to the side like some kind of exotic bird, before she looked at Hayate.

"Are you considering to have him train in that?" She pointed at the ripped t-shirt and fatigued, frayed pants carrying signs of both battle and yesterdays' training."

"Well, we can stop by for clothes."

"If he goes out in this, it will fall apart." Yuugao said in that familiar deadpan he knew so well.

Hayate sighed.

"Mine are too big." he pointed out.

"Not standard fatigues." She said calmly.

"...aren't those ANBU-issue?"

"Konoha-issue. Not ANBU." She corrected him, raising an eyebrow.

Hayate shrugged.

"Second room to the right. Left closet, lower part. Shower." Yuugao looked at Naruto.

"...But I-" the blond protested.

Yuugao said nothing. Not a muscle moved to change her calm, somewhat deadpan expression.

"...uh, right..." He chuckled sheepishly.

* * *

"He says he is your student." She said after he was out.

Hayate nodded.

"Ah." Yuugao said thoughtfully. "Why?"

"Because he has the will to defeat a Hyuuga with a sword." Meandering wasn't good. Not with Yuugao.

Her face was unreadable.

"It is only a month."

"I know." He said calmly.

She looked at the door, a slight frown on her brow.

"Interesting." She said finally, before getting back to her breakfast, as if nothing happened.

Hayate raised an eyebrow, looking at her calmly destroying the cereal in the large, misshapen bowl-that-wasn't.

He smiled.

He didn't think he'd ever really figure her out. But it was okay.

She halted his eating for a second, cocking an eyebrow.

Hayate just kept on smiling.

* * *

"Well... a tad big but manageable." Hayate declared.

The pants were a bit too big, despite being the under-mesh variety and reaching only to calves (for him anyway) the t-shirt as well, and the jacket (one of his, like the t-shirt) was most certainly too big, looking more like a coat, but nothing a kunai or two wouldn't help with. Besides, ANBU clothing had a wonderful property of having the 'tearing zones' in such places like sleeves. Well, sweats did. And nothing Yuugao's kunai couldn't handle.

'Thank god she's better with needle than with clay.'

"Thanks, Hayate-sensei." Naruto rubbed his neck sheepishly. "I'll give them back to you when I buy something."

Hayate blinked.

"That was your only outfit?"

"I have t-shirts, and stuff - but jackets and pants... No." The blond shrugged. "I'm growing, you know."

"Ah." The jounin nodded. "Keep them for now. Just buy something decent for training."

"Sure." The boy nodded. He'd been in need of some new clothes anyway.

'That you are, my beloved.'

Naruto blinked.

'Hey, you're awake!' He thought with joy.

'Of course I am. We are going to train soon, will we not?'

Naruto grinned, tapping the sword.

'Sure. I just need to buy some clothes and-' Naruto froze mid-step. '...DAMN!'

"Hayate-sensei..."

The jounin looked at him.

"I... I know we have training and all, but... My teammates are in hospital and..." Naruto trailed off.

"I understand." Hayate nodded. "Be on the field by eleven. And don't be late."

"What do I look like... Kakashi?" Naruto grumbled.

He heard Benihime's snort and rubbed the end of the somewhat curved end of the hilt gently.

"Just be there." Hayate shrugged. "I have a few things to get for your training anyway."

Naruto nodded, and the two shinobi parted ways.

* * *

"...you again!" The nurse scowled. "And with that sword AGAIN?"

"Hey, I have her bandaged now, don't I?" Naruto snapped. "...Stupid hag."

"I heard that, brat." The woman glared at him. "What do you want?"

"I'm here to see my teammates. Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke."

The nurse snorted.

"Uchiha Sasuke is under ANBU guard in a different wing of the hospital. You don't have the clearance, brat." She looked at the sheet. "Haruno Sakura... Haruno girl is in 114." Naruto began to walk away. "I am NOT finished!" The nurse grumbled.

The blond turned to her reluctantly.

"She was near-ICU yesterday, and unconscious for most of that. We had her chakra-healed, and she'll recover. BUT!" The woman glared at him. "Visiting hours are ten minutes ONLY. If you weren't her teammate and a shinobi, you wouldn't get even that. So be quiet, don't bother her and stop waving that sword, for kami's sake!"

Naruto rolled his eyes, going away.

* * *

The blond had to refrain from a wince the very moment he entered.

Even with Sakura's face to the window, sitting on the bed, the bruises were clearly visible. Chakra healing or no, bandages covered her hands, one arm was in a sling. Bandages, from what he could see, covered also the lower part of her torso. And Naruto knew what that meant - they had first aid.

'Ribs... Damnit...' He thought miserably.

Still, as battered, broken and bandaged as her body was, her face was worse.

Seals and the medic nins took care of a broken nose, but some cuts remained. Faintly, and not all would scar, considering the miracles medic-nins did but...

"Hey there, Naruto.

Naruto froze, suddenly reminding himself that he had no flowers, that he had too big clothes and a bandaged sword, that he had scrapes, bruises and he probably looked like an idiot.

And Sakura was... injured.

"...So... How are you...?"

He felt the words dying in his throat. He just tried to ask. but...

Her cheek was covered in a long bandage, and Naruto could see more of them. All over.

"...Oh damn..."

"Don't worry." Sakura smiled weakly. "It... they said it won't scar... much. Only... only the arm." She rubbed her hand, the one in a sling in a nervous gesture. "I... I hit the wall, see?" Her lips quivered. "I... I hit the wall..."

Naruto fidgeted.

Naruto wanted to pace. Or speak. Or do... anything. But he just couldn't. He stood. And fidgeted.

"It... looks worse than it is." Sakura whispered, trying to smile. "See... those bandages aren't so... bad. I... they said I am lucky, you know. She... She just... threw me. Not as much." Sakura's voice broke a little. "Pulled her punches... some. Just some broken bones. A gash... or t-two..."

Naruto blanched as Sakura's hands shook.

"...T-the wall... Naruto... I... H-hit... the wall...!" Her shoulders were shaking now. "I... c-completely... I completely... I...!" Sakura's eyes teared up and Naruto didn't think much, taking a step forward he slowly and carefully put his hand on her arm.

His eyes widened, as the pink haired girl's grip closed on his neck and Sakura shook.

"...W-why... w-why... that stupid... idiotic... wall..." Sakura whispered, voice quivering. "S-she... she pulled her punches... _Pulled_ her punches...! Naruto... She pulled them... and... a-a-and I... I...!" At that time, the hysteric note left her completely, her voice finally breaking fully. "...I... couldn't do... a _damn thing_..."

Naruto stood, stiff, wide eyed and completely lost.

"Sakura-chan... I-"

'...Gods... What AM I supposed to tell her...? He thought with panic.

"...P-please... don't...look down..." She stammered out. "Just... _Please...!_ _N-Naruto...!_ "

And even as he felt the tears made his shirt wet, one after another, as her harms shook, Naruto kept looking up.

* * *

The doors closed behind him and Naruto flinched at the almost unreal amount of noise they made.

But Sakura wouldn't hear it. She wouldn't hear a thing after simply fainting as she did.

He leaned heavily on the door, his shaking hand rubbing his forehead, even as the other one gripped Benihime for assurance. But even her low, sad hum couldn't dispel the gloom he felt. Not at once. Not all.

"...damn." He whispered, slumping.

He wasn't even angry. Couldn't. He was furious, on some level, but...

He HATED what was done to her. He wanted to rage, he wanted to let the bandages fall, to let Benihime sing, to let Benihime deal out justice, for Sakura's each bruise, for each cut, for broken spirit, for each tear...

'...justice... huh?'

But how do you do that when no one was really at fault?

He loved Sakura. He loved her dearly. He'd bleed, break and get up from the dead for her. But this time he just didn't know what to do!

This wasn't Neji he could promise pain and suffering to. This wasn't Zabuza he could chuck kunai at.

This was Sakura. Broken, bandaged and crying Sakura. Who hit the wall of her own volition.

"...DAMMIT!" He punched the wall angrily.

They were ninja. Injuries were normal. Par of the course - academy at least tried to explain that. And proctors explained how this would go. This wasn't Forest of Death. Sakura could back off. She didn't.

He could... what, go and cut Temari up? Temari, who was spiteful and pissed off, but gave Sakura THREE chances to back off?

He knew that. He saw it. He witnessed it. He wanted to scream, to beg for Sakura to stop... But he didn't. Because he knew that look. Knew that pride, that burning acid and resentment that just built up until it spilled over and reason was gone.

What was he supposed to say to her? 'Good job, Sakura-chan! It will be all right!'?

He gritted his teeth, hands shaking slightly.

It wasn't good. It wouldn't be all right. He knew that better than anyone. He got up after every sparing with Sasuke, after every failure in the academy. He got up. And he knew it was never okay.

Sakura was a shinobi. Konoha's kunoichi. They were there to advance. To fight.

Fight she did. Fought until she _broke_.

And despite all, despite the bruises, cuts and tears... Naruto couldn't stop being, in some almost perverse way, proud of Sakura. Sakura who stood her ground against the fucking wall he beat against his whole life. Stood against that damn wall and ran headlong.

Benihime's gentle murmur echoed in his mind louder and he patted the blade absently.

There were no words here. Nothing he could do. Not a damn thing. He could only go against that wall again. Go and crush it, cut it to fucking pieces.

"...Please... Benihime..." he whispered nearly soundlessly.

The sword quivered briefly, assurance beyond words in that simple gesture.

He slid off the door, straightening up and blinked.

"...what are you doing here?" He scowled at the familiar and not exactly welcome figure leaning on the wall.

"Why, Uzumaki-san. So rude." Ebisu pushed up his glasses. "I am here as per my agreement with your instructor."

Naruto growled, his hand gripping Benihime's hilt tightly.

"I'm not giving her up. Not to that bastard, not to you or even Old Man Hokage." He snapped. "Don't even THINK about it!"

"Your weapon holds no interest for me whatsoever." Ebisu said calmly.

"Good. Then leave me alone." Naruto muttered, stalking through the corridor, back rigid. "I got to train."

"Alone? Without an instructor?" Ebisu quirked an eyebrow. "Don't be juvenile, boy." he said flatly. "You need help. A lot of help, if you want to face Hyuuga Neji in the finals." His glasses caught light as he pushed them up again.

"'Help?" Naruto barked a mirthless laugh. "And what do I need help for, closet-pervert, eh? After all, I will lose anyway, right? Just a loser, that's all, right."

Ebisu snorted.

"Loser is just a word." He said. "But unless you get some help, you really will be one."

Naruto looked at the glass wearing nin for a long moment.

"What is it to you?" He said suspiciously.

"I owe Hatake-san a favor." He said calmly. "He called it in - that is all there is to it."

Naruto scowled, walking past Ebisu angrily, before halting.

The jounin tutor cocked an eyebrow.

'So. He isn't as unreasonable as he seems. Good.'

Naruto stood, motionless, a thoughtful frown on his face, his hand tapping Benihime's hilt for a long moment.

"You want to help me?" He said finally, looking at Ebisu.

The tutor nodded, pushing up his glasses.

"Okay." Naruto nodded slowly. "Then help HER." He pointed at the door.

Ebisu blinked.

"...excuse me?"

"Help Sakura." Naruto looked at him earnestly. "She is there and..." He halted, wincing, his hand clenching. "Help her. You'd be teaching me, right?"

"Getting you ready for the finals, yes." Ebisu nodded.

"That would mean... a month, right?"

Ebisu nodded again.

"So... teach her."

"...I am not her instructor, Uzumaki-san." Ebisu said stiffly. "And I can't tutor you and her at the same time.

"Not me. Just her." Naruto looked at him. "A trade. The moment she walks out of there. For a month."

"This is hardly... proper." The teacher muttered. "Hatake-san-"

"SCREW that bastard and the horse he rode in!" Naruto snapped. "One student, for a month, right? So if you really wanna help me - help her." Naruto drew along shaky breath. "I... I can't help her. I don't know how. She... I... I just. Don't. Know." he grimaced. "She needs... help. I can't. I don't even know where to begin!" The blue eyes bored into Ebisu. "But you're the elite tutor, right? Smart and stuff, right? So teach her. Ninjutsu, genjutsu... whatever. Just do it. For a month."

Ebisu stood there, looking at the blond thoughtfully for a long moment.

"In truth..." He said slowly. "Hatake-san had never mentioned you by name. He merely said to 'train one of his students'." The older man rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So... Under right circumstances..." He nodded slowly. "But as I said, I can't tutor two people at once. Not for a chuunin finals fight. Not against a Hyuuga prodigy. Not when I am... rebuilding a kunoichi after a defeat." he looked at Naruto steadily. "Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do." He said simply. "Just help her, and we're good."

"That will leave you alone." Ebisu said warningly. "No amount of fighting your Kage Bunshin will help you against Byakugan and Jyuuken."

"Don't worry. I've got it covered." Naruto gazed at Benihime for a moment. "Just take care of her, and don't worry about me."

Ebisu looked at the genin for a moment.

"Who?" He asked finally.

"Hayate-sensei."

The jounin's eyebrows shot up.

"As in Gekko Hayate?" He asked.

Naruto nodded and Ebisu frowned, halting as he looked at Naruto's sword.

"...I see. It would make sense." He muttered.

Naruto looked at him.

"Gekko Hayate is one of the top Konoha swordsmen." The tutor explained. "You have chosen wisely, Uzumaki-san." He pushed up his glasses. "Though I never heard of him agreeing to teach anybody before." He said thoughtfully.

"He offered." Naruto shrugged.

Ebisu blinked.

"Ah." He said.

"So, deal?" The blond looked at the jounin expectantly.

"We have an accord, Uzumaki-san." Ebisu nodded. "From the moment Haruno-san leaves the hospital, I shall tutor her for the following month."

Naruto exhaled slowly, nodding.

"Thanks."

"No thanks are necessary. I am merely repaying my debt." Ebisu said simply. "You or that girl - between the two of you I dare say teaching her would be easier."

Naruto smiled weakly.

"Heh. Yeah."

He kicked off the wall he had been leaning on and began walking to the exit, before halting for a moment.

"You know... You're not so bad." He said looking at Ebisu. "I thought you're all stuck up and all, but... you're almost cool, you know?"

"Well I _am_ an elite tutor." Ebisu said smugly.

"Yep." Naruto nodded. "You ain't so bad..." Naruto grinned. "For a closet-pervert."

"...Why I _never...!_ " Ebisu pushed up his glasses, ignoring Naruto's weak chuckle. "How vulgar. Maybe it is good fortune I shall be teaching a cultured kunoichi instead of you. I dare say I'd probably strangle you within a week."

"Yeah." Naruto smiled weakly. "Suppose you're right." He grabbed Benihime, pulling one of the bandages over his shoulder so he could mount her on his back and looked at Ebisu seriously. "Just... help her, okay?" He said softly. "I... can't help her so... Please. Make her... strong again."

Ebisu nodded.

"I will do what I can." He said simply.

Naruto nodded, before turning and walking away, Benihime over his arm.

Ebisu watched the young genin vanish in the doorway, a thoughtful frown on his face.

Finally he nodded slowly, before looking at the door to Sakura's hospital room for a second.

'114, hmm? Well. Time to find the head nurse and make my inquiries, then.' He thought absently, walking away.

After all, he had a kunoichi to train. It wouldn't do to be unprepared to the utmost of his professional ability.

* * *

Naruto walked into the training ground, pulling slightly at the collar of his new shirt.

He wasn't exactly paying attention, to busy thinking about Sakura, and he paid for it now.

It wasn't that the clothes were too small, or uncomfortable - quite the contrary. He asked the lady for something to train in, and he got it.

But if he only paid some damn attention to what he was buying... The clothes weren't bad. Simple dark pants, a thick, durable t-shirt and a dark olive jacket. Simple, durable, and utilitarian. Ideal for training.

If it just wasn't all so damn dark!

'Well, not like I can go back now.' He sighed.

He was cutting it close as it was.

'Hayate-sensei did say training clothes, right?' if anything, this looked to be more durable than his poor orange outfit.

Hayate was sitting on one of the stones, reading through a scroll that he rolled the moment Naruto walked on 'their' training ground.

"Ready?" The swordsman asked, getting up and stashing the scroll in one of the scroll-pockets inside his jounin vest.

Naruto simply nodded.

Hayate coughed.

"Very well." He drew his sword, taking a relaxed stance, sword slightly off to his side. "The sword grip is a deceptively simple thing, but a right way can help you more than you think. The same is with the position of the sword relative to your body and center of mass. We are going to start with a simple cut..."

Naruto watched the swordsman go through a slow cut, all distractions flowing away as he concentrated on the lesson.

'Just wait, Sakura-chan. For you, for Hinata... for myself... I swear I will _cut that fucking wall apart!_ '

* * *

TBC...


	6. Chapter 6

Crimson Edge

Chapter 6

* * *

"Resonance."

* * *

"There is something you need to know."

The voice smothered him, like the velvety feel of the lake he laid upon.

"There is something you need to _hear_."

Her pale hand traced the water gently, before resting upon his face, the only thing that wasn't submerged.

A droplet fell off, splattering upon his lips. The taste was strange, heavy and oddly metallic.

'...what?'

"Can you?" The pale hand caressed his cheek, before resting on his forehead. "We shall see."

'It isn't water...' Naruto realized, eyes widening. 'It is-!'

The hand pushed and Naruto fell, his lungs filling with blood.

* * *

"What is your name...?"

Hurt. He... hurt. Why?

"A name? Why would I give you one?"

"Witch!" Spat, but with laughter, despite the cuts. "I don't want one for me. I want one for you!"

"Weak dogs should not bark, boy."

A smile, a fleeting glimpse circling from red to gold and the darkness was gone, leaving blue and yellow, with off beiges.

"Come on!" A grin, a smirk, a smile - all and neither and a flutter of wings. "Catch me!"

"...you are always... so freakishly... FAST!" Burn. In the lungs in the blood something... edging.

Flash and back and the gold was taking over his vision.

"Nah. You are just slow..."

And he was falling again, shifting into red.

"The HELL you laying around, you bastard?!" Gold, but not shiny. More like straw... and a fang?

The girl scowled.

"Move it!" She stomped, and he felt himself rolling away, with laughter.

"Now now, Hiyori-chan..."

The blonde all but exploded.

"...don't 'chan', come and help me,U-!'

Flash and back and forth and his head was splitting.

Despite the lungs full of blood, Naruto screamed.

* * *

There was no support, no way out, no hand to help him up... and it all felt so heavy.

"...what... wha.. ARGGHHH!" The blond knelt, tears mixing with blood. "What is... happening...?!"

"Oh. You _can_ hear it." The crimson eyed beauty looked at him with some strange mix of detached interest and warm compassion. It was beyond strange, and tainted with red and falling bloody rain only served to make the situation even more surreal.

"The hell you...?!" He twisted into a fetal position as another spike resounded in his head, as if he was a bell and somebody rung it. "BENI...himE!" He ground out.

"Yes?" She leaned back, looking at the sky, red and bloody. "I can hear you. But can you hear me?"

"I don't know what you are.. GGUUH talking abo- GAA!" He clawed at his head. "WITCHHHHHH!"

The crimson smile was more beautiful and warmer than them all before this moment, and he sank in her eyes.

"Yes. Exactly." her eyes closed, Benihime's form turned around, as if dancing. "A witch I am, yes. But every witch is also a woman. Soft and hard, sharp and blunt... yes?"

Flash, back and forth.

"Why should I give you a name?"

'...why?'

"Catch me!"

'Why?'

"Don't 'chan' me! Come and help me, U-!"

"WHY?!" The scream tore out of his throat like a living thing, before leaving him limp as he fell, face first into the bloody lake.

"Why?" Benihime smiled. "To hear."

"...but what...?" Naruto whispered.

"What does man hear, my beloved? What does man listen to when he is sad, when he wants to feel joy, when he wishes just to let the world stand still... or to be heard?"

The blue eyes widened.

The crimson lips quirked in a smile.

"Do you hear it now?" The pale hand extended, and Naruto grasped it, letting her help him up but not breaking the hold.

"No... but I think I will." Bloody and confused, Naruto laughed. "Benihime..."

"Yes?" The woman leaned forward, her breath licking his ear.

"Sing for me."

The spirit laughed.

"As you wish, my beloved. The most beautiful of songs I shall sing for you, and for you alone."

* * *

This time, it was different.

He didn't sleep, or fall. It was just one. single. step.

And he was back on, Benihime in his hand lighting up with red, opaque shade. But this time it wasn't like before, yet again.

This time, it was deeper, more vibrant and only intensified as he looked on. It was a slow build up starting with sparks that he could feel around the hilt which rose against all odds, developing into a faint misty aura, only to become the crazy motes of crimson. But there was beauty in that chaos and Naruto stared entranced, rising the blade to allow it to arc brilliantly through the air. There was no howl now, only a soft hum getting stronger with each second.

'Like... then. It is... like then.' He realized with wonder, eyes wide. 'Like during the exams, but...'

Then, it was like... like a tone. A single note of something far deeper, far more profound he could feel but not quite hear. Now, though... there was a voice there.

A beautiful, haunting and yet so full of sheer _joy_ as it rose up from mutters and whispers!

"I can... hear now... Benihime..." He whispered, entranced.

In response, the hum seemed to laugh, rising in pitch for a moment, and he could feel the familiar sensation over his arms.

"More..." He smiled. "Benihime... make me hear you... make me hear!"

And the tone deepened, becoming a chorus before circling back and turning into one melody, one voice.

One song of crimson.

The concentric wave of power erupted from the blade, bathing everthing in red for the briefest of moments.

This was it. A part of the red melody. Equal parts requiem and ode to joy, an affirmation of life and the certainty of death.

For the briefest of moments, the air around Naruto seemed to crackle, the cerulean eyes lighting with a purer shade of blue than anything on this earth was capable of.

"Sing for me. Sing just for me..." He swung the sword, not even realizing what he was doing anymore, lost in the voice. "SING Benihime!"

The glow vanished for the breifest of seconds, and then the sword laughed with a lilting note, before unleashing the song of deepest red.

* * *

"What...what the... hell...?"

She didn't have any trouble breathing now, even if her hands were shaking. But for a briefest of moments there, it felt like something huge, monstrously heavy was simply pressing her into the ground.

In fact, it all but knocked to her knees before she even realized, her legs simply not able to hold her anymore with that monstrous pressure enveloping her.

"What the hell... was _that_?!" Tenten choked out, her lips numb.

Once, only once in her life she had experienced something even remotely similar, when Gai-sensei faced a jounin during one of their C-class missions. While she knew that Gai-sensei was strong and capable, despite his ridiculous looks and absurd behavior, the sheer weight of the killer intent their usually kind teacher let loose was enough to make even Neji freeze in his tracks.

But this... was different. Completely different. There was no anger, no intent of harm of any kind. In fact, if she had to pinpoint any particular feeling she had while feeling that monstrous pressure it was... euphoria. Triumph and satisfaction with some form of almost... feral amusement. It was brief and fleeting, if almost oppressive, oddly pressing her from the outside and shaking her form the inside, seeping into her very bones, leaving a strange feeling of emptiness after it passed.

But the feeling, however intense, was quickly forgotten when the young weapon mistress looked on forward, her eyes widening.

The area 77 wasn't one used frequently, and rather bare - not to mention far enough from Konoha for most nin not to bother with it. It was mostly rock and small hills that, some distance further, grew into the mountain chain into which the Hokage Monument was carved. It was solid, hard and very sturdy rock, she knew it well. Anyone living in Konoha heard stories how much effort it took - even for doton-specialist nin - to carve the faces of reigning Hokages into the mountain. The rock was just so solid and dense it was really hard to work with. Now, the very same rock had a long, steaming gouge slashed into it.

'Impossible...' She thought dumbly.

She knew that Benihime was no ordinary sword - it was painfully obvious, especially after what he pulled against her Zansatsu Yomi. She thought that distance jutsu, obviously amplified by the sword, was impressive. But that one, despite its steel-rending power, was thinner than even the blade it was sent from.

The gouge ripped into the rock, though...

Despite her shaky legs, Tenten stood up, wobbly pushing through the foliage, passing the unconscious Naruto and stubbornly continuing forward, until she reached the small outcropping.

The steam dispersed but the cut was, if anything, even more impressive now that she could see clearly.

'...impressive?' She thought numbly. 'This is...'

It wasn't particularly wide - less than her forearm, if she had to guess, maybe half as much. The length, however, was a whole another story, easily dwarfing her two or three times.

But that in itself wasn't as impressive as the final aspect of the cut - for it was a cut, clean and almost perfect in its symmetrical beauty.

Slowly, hesitantly, Tenten pushed her hand into the cut, stopping only when her shoulder was scraping the rock.

Her eyes, already wide, started to resemble a pair of saucers as she stepped back wobbly.

"That's... god that's... absurd..." She muttered, cracking a short giggle. "I...!"

The hill, if it could be called that, was a small, jagged thing, and the outcropping wasn't spectacularly big.

Tenten put her hand to her lips, another nervous giggle escaping her mouth as the rays of the morning sun shone on her, falling through the clean cut through the hill.

"I... I fought... _that_?" She murmured, a shiver going through her body. "Good kami that is... just what kind of-" She froze, entire body becoming rigid as something between a hum and a sigh echoed in the air. The sound was one she was by now almost intimately familiar with, replaying it in her memories every day.

'But he was out... cold...?'

Slowly, Tenten turned, beginning to relax as she saw Naruto's still prone form, only to stiffen even more than before when she noticed a faint, opaque flash traveling from the hilt to the tip and then back.

At first, it seemed like a reflection of light, but the slow, almost languid pace quickly dispelled the notion. that and that hauntingly familiar, hissing sound.

Tenten stared, frozen and wide eyed, as the sword, for all intents and purposes, seemed to.. breathe, as odd as it sounded. Or was it.. laughter? It kind of sounded like that...

The weapon mistress swallowed, her sweaty hands clenching and unclenching with almost feral hunger as she stared at the magnificent weapon.

Carefully, she took a slow, deliberate step towards the blond and his weapon.

Waiting for a moment, she observed the weapon like a hawk, but nothing happened, the glow long gone.

Taking another deliberate step, she waited again, before kneeling by Naruto, careful not to touch the blade in any way. At any other time, she'd feel ridiculous, but for some reason it seemed... appropriate.

"You are not... ordinary, are you?" She whispered, leaning over the blade with unabashed curiosity, mixed with equal parts desire and wariness. "Strange form, the power of the killer intent without being killer intent... just what _are_ you?" She murmured to the weapon, before freezing completely, barely daring to breathe.

'Oh.'

The red sparkled almost unnoticeably, but the flash wasn't what caught her attention. The part of a face of a woman, a red-eyed, crimson-lipped woman that was most certainly not her own smiling from the blade, on the other hand, did.

The crimson lips stretched in a smirk, and the brief visage was gone.

Tenten sat there, staring numbly at the clear surface of the weapon for a long moment with something between morbid curiosity and incredulous disbelief.

"Did she just... wink at me?"

* * *

Jiraya was many things. One would say he was an irredeemable lecher, another would say he was a magnificent lecher. Some would also say he was a shinobi with few peers among living or dead, while others would know him, at various points, as spymaster, infiltrator, writer, seal crafter, affictionado of wine and the female beauty and, oddly enough, a very talented wood carver.

However, a large number of those people would be surprised that despite his shinobi talent being the reason for his reputation, Icha Icha his fame and lechery of his notoriety (and it was interchangeable, really , depending on whom you asked) Jiraya was also a priest. A head priest of lady Benten and a genuine sage, in the every meaning of the word.

The sannin, ever since they were children, dabbled in mysteries. Orochimaru wanted the mysteries of power, becoming a ninjutsu master of almost unparalleled might. Tsunade was fascinated by life and became an expert in healing it and helping it along. Jiraya, though, was the sage of the supernatural and ephemeral, which was both at odds and in perfect harmony with his very earthy desires as far as he was concerned. Unlike his two teammates, he wasn't driven by any defined goal - just curiosity.

As such, when the spiritual equivalent of a gong resounded for a briefest of seconds, however muted, Jiraya was one of the four people not take notice. Three others were Orochimaru, who fond the momentary sting rather jarring an unpleasant, but dismissed as inconsequential, while certain young ANBU stopped mid-stride, but able only to hear a momentary whisper akin to the whistle of wind, went back to his duties.

The last one was, oddly enough, Haruno Sakura, who ceased in her warm-up, ordered by Ebisu, and stared into the space with unfocused gaze for a long moment, before shaking the odd feeling off and trying to ignore the odd urge to scream 'shannaro' at the top of her lungs - which Inner Sakura was doing.

Unlike those people, however, Jiraya was the most used to following that nagging little voice of instinct, backed up by the seductive whispers and caresses of curiosity. He didn't hesitate in dropping whatever he was doing and leaving post haste. Of course, in a true Jiraya fashion he managed to do this by kissing the hell out of his table companion with no reservation or care for onlookers and casting an impressive jutsu that crystalized the water and vase that held it into an exquisite example of art one usually paid small fortunes for.

The lithe but undeniably beautiful, dark-haired woman in her mid thirties touched her lips, almost bruised from the kiss, the previously spotless kimono slightly disheveled and a slight blush on the porcelain cheeks as she blinked.

"Oh my." She said finally, noticing the exquisite glass flower resting before her. "Oh... my."

"How... unsightly." The serving girl sniffed. "Sennin or not... he is still just a pervert."

"Ah, but Risa-chan. Jiraya-sama is certainly no... ordinary pervert, hmm?" The dark-haired courtesan touched the crystalline rose, smiling softly.

The servant, a young courtesan in training blinked with confusion.

"Haruna-sama...?"

"Tell Jiraya-sama he is free to visit me whenever he wishes." The courtesan smiled to the girl.

"But... but... Haruna-sama...?" The second courtesan, a voluptuous blonde, protested weakly.

"A man who leaves treasures with no thought and does so from the heart is a treasure himself, Risa-chan." The older courtesan tapped the girl's head fondly. "Some day, you will understand that."

Somewhere, a certain pervert fought a momentary urge to use a Kage Bunshin to pat himself on the back.

* * *

"It seems... different somehow." the blond slid his hand down the wall. "It didn't change at all, didn't it?" Naruto turned from the wall, looking at his crimson-eyed companion. "But.. something did change."

"The change wasn't outside... but rather inside." The woman smiled gently. "But then, the reality does change when one's perception changes."

"Perception..." Naruto murmured, as if to himself. "It all... depends on how I look at it... right?"

"Oh, did I say that?" The spirit said lightly.

"Witch." The blond chuckled, for the first time feeling like some strange kind of weight was taken off his shoulders.

"Oh no. For you I am more of a fairy sorceress that makes the wishes come true." Benihime seemed to fade into the chamber, appearing just close enough to touch his face.

"My fairy sorceress..." The blond whispered, grabbing the spirit's hand before she could fade again. "Who will take care of your wishes, then, my witch?"

The woman's eyes widened, the smile vanishing.

"...you..." She whispered with disbelief.

"Just sing for me. That song, Benihime. Just sing it for me." Naruto grinned. "Because that wish had been heard. And even if I have to become the warlock, I will grant it without fail. That is a promise of a lifetime."

"You... you..." The crimson eyes became glassy with tears as the spirit slid to her knees. "You... fool. Always with that... always for..." She choked, lowering her head. "You haven't changed... at all."

"I don't know. I don't know anything." Naruto smiled, extending his hand to the apparition. "But... that song... It was haunting me before. Many, many times. You sang it for me before, didn't you?"

The beauty nodded once, tears in her eyes.

"So I can't do anything less, right?" The grin wasn't foxy and wide, instead it was something between smirk and joy, a hint of mischief mixing somewhere on the edges. "For my witch, that is."

The spirit smiled, despite the tears, grasping the extended hands.

"Nothing can be born form fear." She whispered softly.

"Certainly not victory." Naruto's grin widened. "So, witch, what would be the price for that? For that song of victory?"

"What else," The spirit smiled slightly through the tears. "but your soul?"

"Hehe... that's kind of hard to pay, ain't it...?" The blond chuckled.

"Don't worry." Benihime smiled, embracing him tightly, her wide sleeves covering him like curtains of silk. "That one was paid long ago."

* * *

"That is enough, Sakura-san."

The pink-haired girl painted, sliding away her sweat-matted hair away.

"I can go another round." She protested, at which Ebisu just slid his glasses up with exasperation.

"Sakura-san, I made a deal with Naruto-san to train you professionally." He said with annoyance. "Over training when you are fresh out of rehabilitation isn't just foolish - it is dangerous."

"But... but it isn't anything much." The girl protested with frustration. "Ebisu-sensei, all we do are all those control exercises and they aren't that hard!"

"Hard enough to exhaust you, girl." The elite teacher sighed.

His first impression of the girl as dutiful and fairly polite kunoichi was accurate. Indeed, considering she had solid basics as far as theory was concerned and simply lacked skill and technique, she was the ideal kind of pupil for him. However there was a different problem to tackle entirely as he had found quickly.

He had no idea if it was fear, determination, anxiety or all of those combined, but the first day when he gave her simple water-walking exercises coupled with a simple routine to see what he had to work with, Sakura, for the lack of better word, attacked the exercise with almost rabid determination. Rabid enough to leave herself face-down in the spring he picked up for her to train on.

Since then, every day had been like that - he had to restrain himself from teaching her jutsu, simply because he was afraid what she would do. A simple Hinotama, a basic C-class katon ended up used and abused enough to leave her prone for two days. Not because she lacked the stamina (which she did, but was quickly building) but simply because she trained it over and over again.

The girl in question claimed she just wanted to 'have it down' quickly, but Ebisu inspected the training ground, only to find that the logs were gone. Not just burned, or charred - simply gone. For a fresh genin kunoichi with stamina problems to achieve that effect she'd have to burn her chakra completely. Doing just that single jutsu over and over again until she simply ran out of targets or power. Or, in this case, both.

In some ways it was just impressive, while in others it was devastatingly stupid for a girl who was praised for her intelligence.

'Is that blond brat contagious?' Ebisu sighed shaking his head. Still, he has made a promise and he would see it through. The girl _was_ a good student - devoted, obedient and attentive.

'Almost too attentive, really.' he thought sourly.

For the first time in his life after having those two jade orbs studying him non-stop, hanging onto each his word with almost surreal intensity, he wondered if Konohamaru's occasional inattention wasn't better.

He could understand the girl had inadequacy issues, he really could. Given she had the Uchiha genius and the - he had to grudgingly admit - inhumanly determined jinchuuriki with power to spare and motivation to see it through... yes, he could see how she would fell, especially after the humiliating defeat suffered at the hands of another kunoichi.

However to call Sakura determined would be a misnomer. The girl was obsessed and he was beginning to wonder if it was entirely healthy.

'Healthy?' The jounin snorted. 'Who are you fooling, Ebisu old boy?'

The elite teacher pushed his glasses up his nose thoughtfully. He honestly didn't know what to do with her. Oh, he had the whole training program set up - the basic genjutsu introduction, one or two attack jutsu to round up her arsenal. Maybe a hint to change that atrocious taijutsu style of hers to something softer and more focused on agility she had to spare.

While he understood the basic variation of the Gouken was taught in the Academy because it was simple and effective, whoever had the idea to teach it to kunoichi should be stabbed in his sleep with a blunt kunai. The girl lacked the strength, stamina and power for it to be feasible, plain and simple.

Some internal branch would be excellent and with her agility and flexibility - there were several styles taught to medic-nins that would boost her combat ability almost overnight if she focused more on what she had, instead of blindly chasing after what she had not.

Ebisu looked at Sakura's sweaty figure, before pushing his glasses up again. This was going nowhere. He needed an entirely new approach and some time to think. Besides, she didn't look like she could go through another enhancement routine this afternoon anyway.

"Enough, Sakura-san. Do the cooldown stretches and take the tomorrow off." The girl opened her mouth, but Ebisu cut her, rising his hand. "You are simply incapable of another set right now."

"That's not true, Sensei! I am sure I can-"

Ebisu just stared at her without a word, his eyes invisible under the dark lenses.

Sakura lowered her head, staring at the ground.

"Yes, sensei." She gritted out.

"Very well. You will meet me here in two days. Dismissed." The jounin made a single seal, vanishing in a swirl of shunshin.

Sakura's fists clenched, knuckles whitening.

"...dammit." The pink haired girl whispered, her hand flying at the log in blind rage, striking wood with a meaty sound.

Sakura winced, her shaky legs causing her to slide to a kneel as she cradled her hurting hand, only to bite her lip looking away with shame.

The log was unscathed. She had been doing the exercises since morning and yet...

Sasuke's punches left marks. Naruto's could flat out shatter the wood when he got going. Hers... hers didn't even rate. It was the same like the Hinotama. A fireball that left the log blackened and slightly frayed and... and whole. No flame, no fire, no burns...

"...DAMMIT ALL TO HELL!" Sakura howled, her fists flying time and time again at the unfeeling wood. "...break... break... BREAK! WHY! WON'T! YOU! FUCKING! BREAK?!" She screamed wildly, each strike like an exclamation point. "WH-"

A wet sound cut the air as Sakura's hands slid away, fists leaving bloody tracks as she fell forward, almost hitting the log. The blood from her knuckles, the flesh finally giving after the recent abuse, turned to be a blessing, causing her forehead to slide over the red trail instead of hitting it full on, leaving a wet, dirty-red smear on her face and forehead.

"...why... why am I... so weak?" The girl whispered brokenly, uncaring of the blood splattering her ruined dress.

* * *

"You aren't waking up."

Naruto didn't bother opening his eyes, just shifting slightly on the silky fabric of her lavish kimono.

"Not really." He murmured. "What, tired of me?"

"Never." She smiled, letting her cool hands trace the contour of his face, content to simply let him rest, let him be close. "But you might catch a cold, beloved."

"Nah, I won't." He said sleepily. "You won't let it happen."

Her laughter was soft, but it none the less managed to reverberate through him, spilling over him like honey. It was an incredible feeling unlike any other and yet just one of many. How he knew that, he didn't bother even asking, or thinking about.

"Your faith in me is charming, but I am not all powerful." she said with amusement.

"Just enough for me." He shrugged. "Just enough."

"Mmm... flatterer." she embraced him, her palms drawing lazy patterns on his chest and neck, massaging and sliding over him, leaving behind that familiar, rosy and metallic fragrance, as if marking him. "But you are troubled."

"Yeah. I guess." He shifted slightly, his hand stretching out, as if wanting to catch something that he couldn't quite grasp. "There is something here. Something I..." Naruto hesitated, before scowling and sighing. "I don't get it. I just don't get it!"

"Try." She nudged him gently.

"I am but this damn thing just... it's like there is a large bath tub, you know, that luxury one and there is some water, but the bath tub is broken and it leaks the water but..." he paused for a moment, struggling. "But it's like the crack is small, but the trickle is even smaller. Like there should be more water escaping, only there isn't. Like somebody turned water into jello. Or something." He sighed dejectedly. "I can't wrap my head around it."

"In a way... you just might have done so." Benihime frowned thoughtfully, leaning her chin on his shoulder.

"Done what?" Naruto blinked.

"Ah, now that is the question, isn't it?" She smiled knowingly.

Naruto turned his head, trying to glare at her, only for the crimson-eyed woman to grasp him tightly, preventing him form moving anymore.

"...it is always those questions with you. Always." Naruto murmured, resigned.

"I am a woman, my beloved." She laughed softly. "Of course it is."

The blond just snorted, but couldn't stop the grin that appeared on his face.

"Eh, whatever." He said after a moment. "A mystery is fine too, right?"

"Ah, pearls of wisdom, my beloved." Her laughter id it again, that honey-trick, leaving goose bumps in its wake. "Now we're getting somewhere."

"I'd like to know _where_ though." Naruto grumbled.

"Patience, patience." She smiled mischievously. "You don't want to ruin a surprise, do you?"

"Surprise for who?" Naruto said, darting his head up as her startled grasp loosened slightly. "For me... or for you?" He asked smugly at her surprised expression. "Ha!" he crowed. "You don't know too, do ya?"

Benihime frowned thoughtfully, tapping her cheek, before smiling sunnilly.

"Not really." She said, nodding cheerfully.

Naruto paused, blinking for a moment.

"...you know, somehow that made it far less fun that it was supposed to be." he complained with a pout.

"You can't win every time, my beloved." She chided him gently, though her smile didn't waver.

"Eh, that's where you're wrong." He grinned, his hand sneaking around and tugging her down so their faces were just inches apart. causing Benihime to blink. "I think I totally won."

Benihime laughed.

* * *

"...kura? Sakura!"

"...nnhh...?" The pink haired girl looked up groggily, her vision swimming into focus in time to see Ino pale.

"...oh god, what happened?!" The blonde's eyes were wide as she took in Sakura's mangled knuckles. "...the hell were you-" She paused, staring at the indentations in wood, now died in rusty red and darkening still. "...shit..." She gritted her teeth, grabbing a roll of bandages from her pouch and cleaning the wounds before Sakura could protest. "The hell were you thinking, forehead girl? You stupid, stupid, moronic halfwit...!" She scowled, her moves gentle and considerate despite the angry tirade. "Just a few days out of hospital and you do something like this? The hell were you tying to do? What was that... that MORON trying to do? Turn you into mince meat? why I oughta-" She bit her lip as Sakura hissed, shaking briefly as the gauze touched the raw wound. "...oh god, I'm sorry, Sakura." She murmured. "This is... damn, you should go and have it looked on by a doctor-"

"NO!" The pink haired girl, snapped, violently shaking off Ino's hand. "NO doctors! NO hospitals!" She hissed.

Ino blinked, before rising her hands placatingly.

"Okay, okay. No hospitals, I get it. Just the little old me, little Ino who is not a doctor." Her eyebrow twitched." Little old me who wants to BANDAGE THE CRAZY GIRL'S ARM!" She growled, grabbing a fresh dose of gauze. "So be so kind and stop. moving."

Sakura looked at Ino oddly, before nodding slowly, extending her arm.

The blonde growled, but said nothing, again getting to work on cleaning her friend's lacerations and bandaging the wounds, all the while murmuring under her breath, spitting occasional curse at another bit of injury she found under the dirt and dried blood.

"Geeze..." Ino finally sighed, finishing her work some time later. "What was that Ebisu guy thinking? what were _you_ thinking? I mean, that's just stupid! You gotta tell him to stop that! No, wait. I'll tell him." She frowned. "There are limits to-"

"Stop." Sakura said softly.

"But Sakura, you can't just let him-" The other kunoichi started to protest.

"It wasn't Ebisu-sensei." Sakura looked down. "It was me. Just.. just me."

Ino paused, blinking.

"...excuse me?" She said bewildered.

"It was ME! I DID THAT!" Sakura snapped, biting her lip as her shoulders shook. "The stupid forehead girl turned her lily whites bloody because she was stupid, moronic and weak forehead girl! Happy?!"

Ino stared at her friend for a long moment without a word, watching as the pink haired girl looked down, her shoulders shaking slightly, without any sound save for heavy, hitching breathing. She raised her hands, and Sakura flinched, closing her eyes, only to stiffen as Ino grabbed her in a tight embrace.

"Oh god, Sakura..." She said gently, "You poor, stupid miss forehead. You poor, proud girl..."

Sakura's shoulders slumped, all the tension fading away almost painfully as Ino rocked her.

"I... don't know what to do anymore." she whispered, her voice more tired than any young girl had a right of being. "Ino... I just. don't. know. What does it take, Ino? Just what does it take...?"

For a long time, the blond said nothing, simply rocking Sakura and letting her vent until the pink haired girl slumped against her, spent.

They stayed there for a few minutes, Sakura too tired to even protest anymore, until Ino smiled, patting her friend's back.

"Well... I was thinking you probably didn't eat anything today, so..." She smiled, standing up and offering her hand to Sakura. "Up for some lunch?"

Hesitantly, Sakura nodded, before grasping the offered hand firmly, despite her wounds.

* * *

It took time for Jiraya to finally arrive at his destination. truth to be told, he didn't even _know_ his destination until about five minutes earlier.

While the feeling he got was far from a whisper, it was like a ripple on water - it went in every direction, washed over everything. It took quite a bit of time, scouring the village from one side to the other to finally find the origin. Or at least he thought so.

"Hmm..." The sage frowned, scratching his chin.

There was nothing really strange about the place. A lot of barren rock, some trees and a small pond in a distance that looked far too neat to be anything but artificial. It was certainly no shrine or a place bearing some kind of extraordinary seal, that's for sure.

"Only... why _does_ it feel that way?" Jiraya murmured, walking through the clearing thoughtfully, before pausing.

'Now that's strange...' He blinked. 'For such a strong reaction, this place is getting calmer and calmer the longer it takes. What the hell?'

This wasn't supposed to be like that.

'Unless... it isn't a place...?' He thought frowning thoughtfully. 'But something else. But what could it-'

He froze in mid-step, before turning slowly, his eyes widening.

"Ah."

It was a hill. Not a big one, but not one that could be called small either. Dense rock, a bit of grass - normal all around. Or it used to be, until someone cut a large, even gouge through it.

'Cut is right...' The sage thought with wonder.

If he didn't know any better, he'd think that someone cut the hill through with a giant Masamune, of all things - it was so perfect.

And, he knew almost instantly, it wasn't done by a jutsu either. For such a large effect, the chakra would linger still, and he didn't detect it at all.

"Now this is... interesting." He smiled, tapping the side of the gap curiously. "Not a jutsu... some kind of a seal... or a weapon?" The Toad Sage ran his palm along the gouge, taking in the details and admiring cut-up rock. He could emulate something similar easily enough -he had at least three separate techniques capable of that, but none quite like that. And none that caused his well-honed senses to register and equivalent of a miko convention throwing a collective picnic either. "Ho ho...!" He chuckled, rubbing his hands.

Mysteries were the water to his mill. Well, next to the research, of course, but he could combine the two splendidly. Sometimes, it even gave some very nice results. Unpredictable too, but that was why he was doing it in the first place.

His curiosity would kill him some day - everyone who knew him well enough said so, and Jiraya wholeheartedly agreed. But in the meantime it'd be a very amusing ride and contrary to all those stuck-up geezers he'd die with a smile on his face, doing what he liked and how he liked it.

Of course, he hoped it was by heart attack, surrounded by a harem of sexy beauties, but he'd deal with it as it came.

For now, however, he had another bit of a mystery he knew virtually nothing about, and it was right her, in Konoha.

"And here I thought it was going to be boring." He mused out loud, before shaking his head with amusement. 'Well, not like I can learn anything more here.' He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, before grinning. 'I wonder if Haruna-chan is still in need of some company...?' he chuckled, rubbing his hands.

Some mysteries could wait, but the mystery of beautiful women was one he was eager to explore with honest, boundless passion - double of which he reserved for the classy, curvaceous and undeniably seductive flower that was Haruna.

Hell, he might even look that blond brat of Minato's up and see how he was doing at some point if he became bored. Not that he doubted Kakashi - the guy knew so many jutsu that the kid had to be a walking arsenal of them by now, given his chakra capacity, but it wouldn't hurt. He should teach the brat summoning sooner or later, after all.

For now, however, he had a reputation to maintain, a puzzle to unravel and a sweet mystery of a woman to keep him occupied in the meantime. A perfect way to schedule his time, in his not so humble opinion.

"Some days I amaze myself." he said with a grin.

This time he did create a Kage Bunshin to pat himself on the back.

Just because.

* * *

TBC...


End file.
